The General & The Priest
by haljordan123
Summary: The gods are not done with Maximus. He must travel once again to a world unknown to him with a mysterious mission. While discovering wonders in his new life, how will he deal with more death and destruction than what he already had? Pairings will be decided later.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gladiator or Elder Scrolls. They belong to the respective owners.**

 **A/N: Hi, everyone. This is my first fanfic and English is not my first language, so bear with me and point me any mistakes you find.**

 **Anyway, I've had this idea for quite some time. I see many skyrim stories but not so many oblivion ones, even so with gladiator. So I thought the combination of the two would be awesome. Rated M because I'm paranoid.**

 **On with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 1: Celestial Agreement

He was now at peace. Maximus' soul was finally at rest. No longer thinking about earth and everything on it and reunited with his wife, Claudia, and his son, Octavius, he has lived in the afterlife, Elysium to be exact, for 15 years. He watched his son grew into a handsome adult, although he and his wife remained the same in their soul appearance. But then, the divine intervention would change their lives forever.

His family was laying on their backs on a sunny day when Pluto, the god of the underworld suddenly made an appearance before them, startling the three and every soul in that place. He wore a black robe and had a long, black beard and hair. When he walked, some black mist swirling around his feet. Everyone in that place bowed down to him right away when they saw him.

"Hello, Maximus. Enjoying your immortal live, I reckon?" Pluto said with a smug grin on his face.

"Y-yes, Lord Pluto? But it's unusual to see you visiting us mortal soul in this place. I don't remember seeing you since I left the Earth. I think you never step into this place," Maximus said to the god of death with a bit confused look.

"It's true. Normally I don't travel to Elysium, I'd rather be with my beloved, Persephone, only to see you when you arrive and ask if you want stay here or be reborn to the mortal realm. But this not normal times, Maximus."

"What do you mean, my lord?" Maximus asked with worry and curiosity. He didn't think there would be trouble in godly realm. Trouble only existed in mortal realm. He was not sure he's ready to face ordeal once again after what happen to his family.

"Someone came to Olympus during their counsel. A visitor from another realm of existence. He looks pretty unusual with his two heads, one of a dragon and one of a man. He told Jupiter about this request, then I was summoned to the counsel. He said his name is Akatosh, the chief deity of a pantheon unknown to us. The message he brought is about the safety of another universe," Pluto explained Maximus regained to his feet.

"Why are you telling me this? What does another universe have anything to do with us?" Maximus asked the god.

"Oh, no, Maximus. It's not about them. It's about you. You see, their mortal world is in great danger. Normally, for situation like this, they will choose a mortal to be their champion to deal with these matter. But this Akatosh said they find no one suitable to be sent. That's where you come in. The dragon god asked us to send someone to save their world. We've already talked about this among us and we chose you, Maximus Decimus Meridius, for your bravery and honor you showed when you were alive. Especially Mars, he likes you so much."

Shocked was an understatement when Maximus heard that news. He never thought for eternity that he would be back as living, breathing human on Earth, let alone in a strange universe. Who knows what he would encounter there? He knew nothing about this world whatsoever.

"Please, my lord, don't do this to me! I've been through so much and I can't be separated again from those that I love, my wife and son. There must be someone else you can send, there are lots of people in Roman history who were as honorable as I was."

Maximus hoped he could change Pluto's decision. Hell, maybe even all the god's decision.

"You spoke of combat prowess. But you have something others do not. You faced massive ordeal, from a general to a slave, from a slave to a gladiator. You lost everything you had. If there's someone worthy enough to jump into the fire without the fear of losing something or someone precious, it's you. And about being separated again from your family, I have decided to send them as well. You'll need them in this new world. And I promised, I will never let a cruel and painful death touch them. As mortals, of course they will die again, but their second death will be peaceful, unlike the first one. If you need time to think about it, that's okay," Pluto explained the so-called plan to Maximus.

Everyone around them looked at Maximus with shock and anticipation. They wondered if the Spaniard would accept the ruler of the underworld's offer. They heard his heroic story about how he defied the corrupted emperor himself to stand upon what's right and not to bow down to tyranny. Meanwhile, Maximus was not sure at all about this. He didn't know if he could trust Pluto's word. Well, he's not the god of wisdom, was he? If it was Minerva who spoke to him, maybe he would reconsider it. Finally Claudia opened her mouth.

"Don't worry about us. Our time will come when it comes. We already had it once, we are not afraid, my love. Besides, he is a god after all. He commands the death, remember? And how can you refuse the gods' order? They are more than any emperor, you know." She placed her hand on her husband's chest to comfort him.

His son, Octavius, now a 25 year-old man, also tried to comfort his father. "Father, I'm an adult now, I can defend myself and mother from any danger. You taught me yourself how to fight during our time here. I always trust you, Father. Now it's time for you to trust me."

Maximus was deep in thought, he'd be lying if he said he didn't worry for his family. The memory when Commodus said how his soldier raped Claudia over and over again, and burned Octavius as he cried in agony was still fresh in his mind. He was having difficulty forgiving himself for letting them suffer like that. But finally an idea sparked in his eyes.

"If you want us to go back to the world of the living, I need you to do something for me," said Maximus with determination to the dark god.

"And what would that be?" Pluto asked.

"I want my friends to be resurrected as well. Juba, Hagen and Cicero. They will help me in my mission or whatever it is."

Pluto was thinking about his words. He never thought this former general would strike him a deal.

"Alright, I will discuss this with my brethren. I'm not the god of trade, you see. Maybe Mercury can help me decide. Wait here." And with that, the god disappeared from Elysium.

Maximus rapidly went to meet his friends, fellow gladiators to explain his plan.

"You don't need to worry, my friend. I don't have a problem being alive again to help you. Just say whatever you need," Hagen said with gusto to Maximus. His body is the biggest of the four gladiators, towering the other three.

"Your friends are with you, Maximus. We will never leave you, no matter what," Jube answered shortly to assure his friend.

"You know I'm always loyal to you, General. Even the death can't change that. After all, I am still mad at myself for letting myself be a bait to lure you into an ambush. I hope I can redeem myself with this opportunity." Cicero, Maximus' servant also gave his support to his former master. He still couldn't stop calling Maximus "general" for a reason.

Satisfied by their answer, Maximus smiled at his friends, "Thank you, my friends. I know you won't disappoint me. Let's use this second chance to amend ourselves from our failures on Earth. But know this, Pluto never promise me and you will die peacefully like my family."

"We know," Juba said.

"Good." Maximus was happy that his friends didn't lose their heart of warrior in the afterlife.

After saying that, Pluto reappeared in Elysium. Maximus, Claudia, Octavius, Hagen, Juba and Cicero walked towards to god, waiting his response.

"I have told my brethren about your condition. And we agree."

They breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the news.

"We will provide you with everything you need to start a life there. There are many races in this world. I will change each of you into their race so you can blend in more easily."

"May I know the name of this world you're going to send us?" Maximus asked Pluto. If he was going to a new place, he wants to know everything about the place. His military experience taught him that.

"I can only tell you the name of the world is Nirn, and the continent is called Tamriel. But no more. Anything else you must learn by yourselves. Now prepare yourselves. I'm going to send all of you."

Pluto created a black portal at the right side of the group.

"Go now, and have a safe journey. I hope you succeed in you mission." Pluto gave them a farewell.

The group walked towards the portal, and then they disappeared from Elysium. Everyone else kept looking until the portal was closed.

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 **What do you think? As you see, this story takes place after the event in Gladiator and before the Oblivion Crisis. I'll try to come up with right lore and whatnot. But hey, you can't satisfy everyone. I hope you enjoy it and please give me your reviews.**

 **Until next time, haljordan123 out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gladiator or Elder Scrolls. Gladiator belongs to Dreamworks/Universal and Elder Scrolls belongs to Bethesda.**

 **A/N: Hi, guys! I'm back with next chapter of this story. I wrote this chapter just 2 days after the first one, because I'm on vacation so I have plenty of time.**

 **Big thanks to dissatisfieduser for the review. Yes, I did think about which race Maximus and his friends are, even before I wrote the story. At first I wanted to make Cicero as Bosmer, maybe he could deal with Adoring Fan at some point, hahaha *just kidding*.**

 **Anyway, enough talking and off we go!**

Chapter 2: Cyrodiil

 _3E428_

It was a strange journey he had, one he wished he would never experience again. He felt he had been contorted and twisted inside out when he was inside the portal. He fell to his knees and groaned because of the unnatural pain. Then he opened his eyes to see for the first time the place the gods had sent him. He saw landscape that looked like a forest and stony soil beneath his hands. Lifting his face, he could see the stone formed a pattern that he soon recognized as a road. After spending his time in Elysium, he had never seen a scenery like this again because in there, there was only plain grassland as far as the eye can see. The only artificial structures they had were their wooden houses that seemed to be standing there, waiting for them when they died. They never had to build anything, really.

Then suddenly, another thing popped in his mind, Maximus looked around to see where his family and friends were. He found Claudia and Octavius not far from him, just a few feet behind him, but no signs of his 3 loyal companions. The portal was no longer there, and he tried to call them, but after hollering for a minute or so, he knew they were not there. He silently cursed Pluto for scattering them in the middle of nowhere. But perhaps he was partly guilty for not asking about that. Although they were warriors, no one could tell the dangers they might face when they landed here. Maybe some natives saw them as demons and killed them on the spot, plus the fact that they had no weapons with them.

Weapons! Maximus started to search if he and his family had any belongings and found out that they had some clothes and other things in their sacks. Sack? He didn't remember carrying a sack from Elysium. Claudia tried to open her sack to see what was in there. There were cups, goblets, plates, bowls, cloths, and in Octavius's sack, he found apples, bread, pears, and strawberries. At least they had some food to survive for a few days ahead. Claudia then grabbed a small sack and when she reached the inside, she let out a gasp that caught Maximus' attention. "What is it, my dear?" He asked his wife. And lo and behold, in her hands are gold coins, lots of them. Maximus couldn't believe what he saw. Not only they could survive in the wild with the foods, but they also had a chance to do so in the future. They remembered what Pluto said prior their departure that he would provide them what they needed, and apparently he was true to his words. Perhaps he was not so bad after all.

Octavius then said to his father, "Dad, we can't stay here. We're in the middle of the road. If this world is inhabited, maybe there are robbers too. We can't take that risk."

"You're right, let's get going until we find a settlement of some sort. We can count the money later. Let's go," he told his wife and son.

And with that they started walking to any direction since they had no idea where to go. After three-hour trip, they reached a building that stood out in the forest. It's almost dark, so they decided to go inside and tried to have a rest. Maximus told his son and wife to wait outside, just in case. He opened the door, it wasn't locked and it's quite dark inside. He scanned the room and found a man with the fair skin and long, blonde hair. He wore a brown apron and stood behind the counter.

"Well I be a spotted snow bear, a customer! Welcome, sir, please come in." He greeted the ex-general.

"Thank you, Sir. My family and I are travelling merchants from afar and we got lost. Could we have a night here, please?" Maximus asked the man.

"Of course, what else this place for? This place isn't called Inn of Ill Omen for no reason."

Maximus frowned at the name, thinking about leaving the place. "What kind of name is that?" He asked the innkeeper.

" It's a horrible name for an inn, I know. But I just can't bring myself to change it. Besides, I like the sign," as he explained to the Spaniard. "Anyway, we got plenty of rooms if you want one. Ain't nobody here 'cept old Rufio."

Maximus didn't have time to think who this Rufio was, he just wanted his family to be safe. "Right, I'll take the room. How much is it?"

"Only 10 septims per person, Sir. Business is bad in here these days," the innkeeper answered Maximus.

"Um, wait here, please," Maximus said as he went out to meet his family. "This place is an inn, we can rest here for the night," he said to his family. They felt a wave of joy upon hearing this. Finally they could rest in a proper place for the first time since coming to this world.

"How much do they want, Honey? Claudia asked her husband. "Only 10 septims per person, he said. Just bring me the money," Maximus said as he gave his hand. Claudia gave him the money sack. After that, they went into the inn together and met the innkeeper once again.

"Ah, so this is your family. You have a nice one, Imperial. I still can't get myself a nice girl, hehehe," said the innkeeper.

Maximus was confused by his word, "Excuse me, what did you call me?"

"An Imperial, that's what you are. I didn't mean insult, you know."

"What is Imperial, by the way?" Maximus ask him again.

"It's your race, for the gods' sake. Are you high on skooma or something?"

Maximus exchanged looks with his family, apparently their race is called Imperial in this place. He wondered what do they call Juba, Hagen, and Cicero. His train of thought was interrupted by the voice of the innkeeper.

"So, I see you have a wife and a son with you. That makes it 30 septims."

"Oh, right, here's the money. I am familiar with this kind of money, please count it for me. And by the way, my name's Maximus, what is yours?" Maximus asked as he put the money sack on he counter.

"My name is Manheim Maulhand, I came all the way from Skyrim in the north. But even there, we know what a septim is. You folks are really strange fellows."

That night, after the payment was done, the little family had a rest for 2 hours. Then they start examining their belongings. They learned that they had around 500 septims, which was the currency of that land. They also bought some more food from Manheim for the tomorrow's trip. With the logistics secured, they closed their eyes and had a sleep after 15 years in the afterlife.

The next morning, they continued their trip to the south. Previously Maximus asked Manheim where the nearest settlement lied. The innkeeper pointed him Bravil, south from the inn. When they arrived at the city, they found the place to be the dirtiest place they'd ever seen in their previous life. The wooden buildings were stacked upon each other and there are some drunkards walking around and saying nonsense. Maximus asked a guard about where he and his family could stay in the city. The guard told them that there was an inn if they wanted one, but if they wanted a more permanent house, they should go the the count.

With the money they had at the moment, they decided to live as a travelling merchants until they had enough money to buy a house there, which was priced at 4000 septims according to the count. Claudia spent the next day selling her goods in the city streets with Octavius helping her. Meanwhile, Maximus found another job at the Fighters Guild because he knew next to nothing when it came to trading. The family soon realized this land was called Cyrodiil, a province of an empire that ruled across Tamriel and there is a lot of races in this strange new world. The people with fair skin is called Nord like Manheim, the men with the brownish skin were called Imperial, like themselves, the people with black skin were called Redguard, and the people with innate magical abilities were called Breton, that last part confused the family greatly. They thought only the gods could use the magic. The other races sent awe and shock to the family as they saw talking beasts and people with pointed ears. The pointed ear people with yellow skin were called Altmer or high elves, the ones with brownish skin were called Bosmer or wood elves, the ones with dark, grey skin were called Dunmer or dark elves, and the green skinned people were called Orsimer or orcs. The beast people consisted of two types, Khajiit, which was the cat people, and Argonian, which was the lizard people.

 _3E433_

Maximus and his family had already lived for 5 years now, in Cyrodiil. Finally they managed to buy a permanent house in Bravil, using he money from trading and Maximus' fighting skill in Fighters Guild. He did a lot of assignments from fighting bandits, escorting people, or exterminating wild animals. Sometimes he helped his family by escorting them while they moved to another cities. Octavius continued to help his mother until they lived permanently. Then he followed his father footsteps by joining the guild. At the time, he was able to reach the rank Associate, while his father was a Defender. During their journey across Cyrodiil, they visited a lot of cities and settlements, but one city in particular attracted Maximus, it was Anvil. Its location and environment resembled his hometown is Hispania with the harbor and sailors from all over the world. Sometimes he thought to move his family from Bravil to Anvil so they could have a better life, away from the skooma addicts (eventually he knew the name of the booze).

During his time with the guild, Maximus was finally reunited with his friends. Hagen was currently living in Bruma, Pluto apparently made him a Nord, strong people who could resist the cold air of the mountain. He met Juba when he was at Chorrol as a Redguard, one of the best fighter in the world, not a new fact for him, really. Juba was one of the toughest gladiator Maximus ever knew. Both Hagen and Juba worked in Fighters Guild, that was how Maximus met them, during one of his missions when he rested in their respective hall. But there was one person he hadn't managed to meet yet, Cicero. Maximus travelled far and wide, but to no avail. Sometimes he feared for his safety, knowing he was never a fighter. He even tried to ask all the guild branches in Cyrodiil, but no one ever heard his name. Well, perhaps he became something else, Maximus thought, after all, he always live his life with his brain, not his muscle. He quit his day dreaming, when he heard Mordreyn Oreyn in Chorrol called him.

"Maximus, come here. I need you to do something. There are wealthy merchants from Morrowind and they need to go to Imperial City. But you know how many bandits out there, letting them go alone is like giving those bastards free money. So this is what you need to do, I want you to escort them to Imperial City where they will be selling their expensive goods. I have no doubt that you will succeed, with you as a Defender. As incentive, when you return to me, you will be promoted to Warder. The rank surely will give you more money for your lovely wife and handsome son. Good luck," Mordreyn explained the contract to Maximus.

Maximus gave him a nod as he went through the door. Later in the evening, he led the group of merchants along the Black Road to Imperial City. After 3 hours of walking, Maximus heard something in the bush. He readied his sword, trying to protect the rich Dunmers. From behind the bush, a Khajiit emerged," Give me all you possession if you value your lives." After saying that, his fellow bandits showed themselves from behind the trees, with swords, bow and arrow, and hammer. Maximus only gave him a smirk and said, "I would rather die than give you these people for you to rob."

The Khajiit said," If that's what you want, then that's what you get." And with that, the chaos ensued. Maximus quickly dispatched the Khajiit with the slash of his steel sword, then he ran up the hill to meet an archer bandit, Maximus thrusted his blade through the archer's chest, killing him instantly. Then he felt a blow on his back, this time a Redguard attacked him with a large iron hammer. Maximus winced from the pain and the dodged the second blow, making his opponent losing his balance. Seeing the opportunity, he disarmed the Redguard when he kicked his hands. At that time, an Imperial guard rushed to the scene, he knew there was a robbery, and he attempted to stop it.

"Stop, put down your weapons and surrender yourself!" The guard stopped the fight between Maximus and the bandit. The bandit, seeing no chance of winning by keep fighting, quickly told the guard," Yes, arrest him, Sir. He attacked my clients here and tried to murder them as well. Help us!"

Maximus suddenly retorted the bandit," No, don't listen to him, I'm the escort. I'm from the Fighters Guild to escort these merchants. He is the bandit. Arrest him!"

The guard, not knowing who to believe, asked the merchants, "Sir, Madam, which one is your escort and which one is your bandit?"

The Dunmers was trying to answer the guard's question, but fear seemed to get the best of them and in the darkness of the night, their response shocked Maximus to his core. "He is our escort," while pointing to the Redguard, "and he is the bandit," pointing to Maximus.

The guard quickly arrested Maximus as three more guards came to the place. "No! You don't understand! I'm the escort, here, see my badge from the guild. You have to believe me!" Maximus shouted to the guards.

The guards saw the badge and snorted, "Oh, you maybe took this from the a member of the guild after you killed him, didn't you, asshole?"

"No-" before he could say anything, a guard hit the back his head with the hilt of his sword, knocking him out. "Take him to the Imperial City, let him have a taste of justice there," said one of the guard.

 **So, there you have it. Our gladiator spends 5 years in Tamriel to gather knowledge about the world he lives in. The next chapter will be at the start of the game. Oooh, I'm so excited about this. But for now, let me give you this closing music.**

 ***cue Now We Are Free***

 **haljordan123 signing out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Gladiators and Elder Scrolls. If I did, I wouldn't write this fic, would I?**

 **A/N: What's up, readers? I am back with chapter 3 of this story. This time, I'll add the thinking sentence, whatever you call it, just to add a more personal feeling. And I've edited the error about the year. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 3: Dungeons

"Text" Normal dialogue  
 _"Text"_ Thinking

Maximus opened his eyes the next morning. He was groaning from the pain in the back of his head. Trying to remember what happened last night, he saw the state of his well-being. He was sitting in a cart with several men at his right and left. His hands were in chains, he only wore his simple tunic that was beneath the body armor. _"Wait, where's my armor? My weapons,"_ he thought to himself. Then he saw the men around him, all of them were in heavy armor, suddenly he regained his memory of how he fought the bandits and how the things were going south when the guards arrived. He wondered what happened to the Dunmers he supposed to protect. They must have been robbed and killed by the last bandit.

Fail. That's what he was thinking about his mission. _"Modryn Oreyn must be mad when he hear about this. Damn, I'm gonna lose my membership. That's 5 years I won't get back."_

Of course, he was right about that. Modryn Oreyn flipped out when he heard Maximus had a problem with the law. He was his favorite fighter he ever knew and he refused to believe Maximus tried to rob his own clients. But he had no choice other than erasing his name from the guild's wall of fame.

Meanwhile, the cart strode across the the market district of Imperial City. It wasn't his first time there. He visited the city one time to resupply in Fighting Chance and The Best Defence. The city reminded him of Rome with massive stone buildings. But one particular building that caught his attention was the arena. His mind went back to when he fought for his life along with his fellow gladiators. The idea of fighting for amusement of the spectators was the last thing on his favorite list. He once tried to watch one of the fight, but sadly, he lost the ability to enjoy it after experiencing firsthand.

The cart finally stopped at the prison district. After opening the door, Maximus and his captors went into the inside, but before they did, one of the Imperial legion put a sack cloth on his face. _"They don't want to see the way, so if I escape, I'll take more time to seek my way out and it will make their job easier."_ They kept walking downstairs until they reached the cell blocks, and then a guard took off the sack from Maximus' head and threw him inside. It's not a very pleasant place to spend your time. Maximus saw around his cell, there was a window with bars high above, a bed complete with bugs, handcuff with chains hanging from the ceiling, a bucket, a bench, and several bones laying on the ground, maybe they were the remains of a former prisoner. He spent 2 weeks as a prisoner, and he did not enjoy it. Not. One. Bit. They gave him a bucket of water to drink and another bucket to expel his biological waste, so every morning he woke up with his own excrement. They also gave him a stale bread and leftover soup that smelled like someone's socks. In fact he didn't eat for the first 2 days. On top of that, his neighbor was constantly bugging him with petty insults. He was a Dunmer named Valen Dreth. Maximus decided that a scum like him was not worthy of attention. When he first arrived in the cell, Valen was taunting him, "Oh look, an Imperial in the Imperial Prison. I guess they don't play favorites, huh? Your own kinsmen think you're a piece of human trash. How sad. I bet the guards give you "special" treatment before the end. Oh, that's right. You're going to die here, Imperial! You're going to die! Imperial scum like you give the Empire a bad name, you see. You're an embarrassment. Best if you just…disappeared."

He just didn't have time to think about the Dunmer's words because during his time, Maximus was always thinking about his family and friends out there. He wondered how they were, oh, hey must be worry about him. _"Have they forgotten me? Ah, it's stupid to think like that."_ And then, for the first time since he arrived in this world, he remembered his mission, the only reason why he was here, to save the world. It's ironic, when he was free, he completely forgot about the mission, and now, he remembered it when in incarceration. Silently, he ask for forgiveness from the god for failing his mission. How could he save the world if he couldn't save himself? After all, he never look himself as a hero material.

* * *

Today, as usual, Valen went on his daily rambling, but Maximus's patience had reached its end. "Listen, pal, you keep doing that and when I get out, even the guards can't protect you from me," Maximus replied the taunting he received.

"Oh, don't you learn anything I say? There is no out of this place, you are going to die! I've been here for a year and I've never had a trial. They won't remember people like us down here."

Then he heard someone coming down towards them, judging from the sound of the clanging metal, he guessed they must be prison guards.

"Hey, you hear that? The guards are coming… for you! Hehehehe," Valen said as he disappeared into the darkness of his cell.

"My sons… they're dead, aren't they?" he heard an old man speaking. "We don't know that, Sire. The messenger only said they were attacked." The second voice is a Breton.

"No, they're dead. I know it," the old man said with regret and sorrow.

Maximus saw them through the iron bars, there are 3 guards with a different suit of armor than a regular Imperial legion armor, and they appeared to be escorting an old man in a regal clothing. The female Breton guard walked to his cell door and when she looked at Maximus, she startled, "What's this prisoner doing here? This cell is supposed to be off-limits."

"Usual mixup with the Watch, I…" this time the voice was belong to a male Imperial. He tried to explained, blaming the common guards before she interrupted, "Never mind. Get that gate open. Stand back, prisoner. We won't hesitate to kill you if you get in our way."

Maximus could do nothing but to comply. He won't stand a chance against the three of them without his armor and weapon. He moved away from the gate towards the wall, just below the window. The female guard that looked like the captain went inside and stated, "Good. Let's go. We're not out of this yet." The group walked inside the cell which allowed the gladiator to see them clearly. The third guard was a Redguard and the old man was an Imperial with grey hair and wrinkles across his face, marking the wisdom that he had. This man reminded Maximus of Marcus Aurelius, the emperor that he served under as a general. He would never forget his kindness over him.

When the old man laid his eyes on the gladiator, he stopped, "Wait, you… I've seen you. Let me see your face." Maximus didn't know who this man was and was confuse when the man touched his face and hair to try to recognize him.

"You are the one from my dreams. Then the stars were right. This is the day. Gods give me strength." Maximus wondered if this man already lost his mind.

Then he asked, "What's going on?"

"Assassins attacked my sons, and I'm next. My Blades are leading me out of the city along the secret escape route. By chance, the entrance to that escape route leads through your cell."

"Why am I in jail?"

"Perhaps the gods have placed you here so that we may meet. As for what you have done, it doesn't matter. That's not what you will be remembered for."

" _Yeah, right. Because I didn't do anything other than trying to protect those people."_

"Who are you?" He continued to ask the man, trying to understand the situation. Because why did these guards need to protect this man whose sons have just been murdered? Was he someone important.

"I am your emperor, Uriel Septim." _Emperor, huh? That explains his robe."_ "By the grace of the gods, I serve Tamriel as her ruler. You are a citizen of Tamriel, and you, too, and shall serve her in your own way."

" _Wait a minute, maybe this is the chance I got to do my mission, serving Tamriel, he said."_

"What should I do?" Maximus asked the emperor.

"You will find your own path. Take care. There will be blood and death before the end."

" _Blood and death. I don't like the sound of this."_ Maximus was thinking the emperor's words when the female Blade rushed the emperor," Please, Sire, we must keep moving." She placed her hand on the wall and pressed a stone, then the wall came down under the ground, revealing a secret passage.

"Better not close this one. There's no way to open it from the other side," she told her fellow Blades. Then the group walked to the dark alley, leaving the gladiator alone in his not-so-close cell. A voice from across the room said," Hey, Imperial. You are so lucky, only 2 weeks here, and now you can get out of here. Please, you must get me out of here. Just walk out and take the keys there, and open my cell." It's Valen, Maximus looked at him and smiled, "No, enjoy your time here. If you're lucky, maybe someone else will have you on their dreams," he finished as he went into the same passage, following the emperor and his personal guards.

"Wait, what do you mean? Hey! Come back! Don't let the poor old Valen rot in here. No hard feeling between us, right? Right?" Valen shouted, while watching his ticket to get out of the prison disappear into darkness.

* * *

Maximus slowly walked to follow the group until they reached a rather large area. He saw them looking around, then suddenly another group came and attacked the emperor and his guards. They wore a strange red armor and wielded a weapon that looked like emerge out of thin air. He suspected they were magic users. He just watched the fighting happen before his eyes, until finally the guards managed to finish them all. The attackers' armor quickly disappeared and turned into an unusal red rob. The Imperial guard whose name was Glenroy then said, "The captain's down!"

"What happened?" ask Uriel as he came towards her body. "Renault's dead, sire. I'm sorry," Glenroy explained to him. Uriel knelt before her," Rest in peace, daughter of Cyrodiil. May your soul find peace in Aetherius." After that they started to leave the place through a door.

As they continued walking, Maximus then came out from behind a pillar and tried to examine Renault's body. He decided to take her Akaviri Blade, a sword that only belongs to the Blades. While serving the Fighters Guild, he heard about this Blades, a group that formed with sole purpose to protect the emperor and Tamriel, and that their weapon was special and not sold anywhere in Cyrodiil. The sword was 80 cm long and had a perfect balance. He thought it's a good idea to keep the blade while exploring the region for he didn't know what this place had in store. He tried to open the iron door, the same that the group used a minute ago. But it's locked. When he tried to find another route, he heard a screech behind him. He turned around and saw not one, but three rats charging to him. Killing them wasn't really a problem for a Defender of Fighters Guild. He left the rodent to a hole in the wall.

It's a cavern and it's not empty. Inside, he found 13 rats and a zombie, all met the same fate as the attackers and the three rats. Also, he found an iron bow with 24 iron arrows and some potions. Maximus learned the usefulness of potion during his life in Cyrodiil, because he was never a magic user. The only magic he learned was a minor restoration magic to heal minor injuries. He was going to a door, out from the cavern to an even larger one with goblins. _"What a nuisance! Of all the creatures in the world, I have to meet those guys."_ Goblins were one of the most horrible creature for Maximus, they were just like bandits, attacking innocents and living in the wild like animals.

Anyway, after defeating them, he found another door that led back to Imperial Subterranean. And if it wasn't luck, then he didn't what was that, because he saw the group again, still not out of there. _"This_ _place starts to make me nervous. The sooner I get out of here, the better."_

He jumped down from the ledge and the thud made everyone turn their head. "Dammit! It's the prisoner again! Kill him, he might be working with assassins," said Glenroy and started to run towards Maximus.

The emperor immediately stopped him, "No, he's not with them. He can help us. He _must_ help us."

Glenroy reluctantly obeyed him and warned the gladiator, "The emperor may trust you, but I don't. Stay out of our way."

Maximus didn't say anything, but a sigh. The emperor then called him, "Come closer. I prefer not to have to shout."

Maximus came to the man and listened him carefully. He never meet the emperor personally before this, he only saw his poorly-drawn face from the septims, the coins that were distributed all across Tamriel. He always thought the emperor was a cruel dictator when he learned about many wars he waged, including the invasion to Akavir, a mysterious continent in the east. But when he saw him directly, he didn't think he was a bad person.

After he was in front of him, the emperor asked him, " What's your name? Clearly we can't call you "prisoner" anymore after all this."

"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius. But just call me Maximus, My Lord. And as a citizen of Tamriel, I'm at your service," Maximus replied with a small bow.

"Thank you. Listen, they cannot understand why I trust you. They've not seen what I've seen. How can I explain?" Uriel stopped to think for a minute.

"What did you see, sire?" ask Maximus.

"Listen. You know the Nine? How They guide our fates with an invisible hand?"

"Yes, I know them. But let me tell you something, I'm not from this world, Your Majesty. From where I was from, we worship different deities, and they sent me here with a mission. A mission I didn't understand until you came to my cell, sire," Maximus replied to Uriel.

"What did you say? You are from another world? Not from Tamriel, Nirn, or even the Mundus itself? Then maybe the dreams I had about you was from your gods. If that is true, then you are a gods' champion, it's your fate," said the emperor.

Yes, Maximus knew who the Nine were. They were the pantheon worshipped by the Imperials, led by Akatosh, the one who met the Olympian gods. But he liked Talos better than the others. As the god of war and governance, his scope suited him best for a former general. He adored the founder of Septim dynasty so much for how he used this ancient Nordic magic called Thu'um to defeat his enemies, how he rise to power as Tiber Septim, and finally unite the whole Tamriel under one banner. And his apotheosis from a mortal into a divine still astonished him to this point.

Then Uriel Septim explained further, "As for me, I've served the Nine all my days, and I chart my course by the cycles of the heavens. The skies are marked with numberless sparks, each a fire, and every one a sign. I know these stars well, and I wonder... which sign marked your birth?"

Maximus was not sure how to answer this as he was never born into this world, just like his family and friends. "I don't know my birthsign, sire, but perhaps Warrior suits me well."

"The signs I read show the end of my path. My death, a necessary end, will come when it will come."

"Your death? How about me?" asked Maximus.

"Your stars are not mine. Today the Warrior shall prove a stalwart companion when fortune fades."

"Can you see my fate?" the former general asked with curiosity.

"My dreams grant me no opinions of success. Their compass ventures not beyond the doors of death. But in your face, I behold the sun's companion. The dawn of Akatosh's bright glory may banish the coming darkness. With such hope, and with the promise of your aid, my heart must be satisfied."

"Aren't you afraid to die?"

"No trophies of my triumphs precede me. But I have lived well, and my ghost shall rest easy. Men are but flesh and blood. They know their doom, but not the hour. In this I am blessed to see the hour of my death... To face my apportioned fate, then fall."

Maximus was bewildered by this response. This man saw his own death and could keep his composure? Any normal man would do anything to stop his death as best as he could. But perhaps the emperor was not a normal man. According to legend, the Septim emperors were descended from Tiber Septim, a dragonborn, and even further to St. Alessia, a slave queen who rebelled against the Ayleid, another type of Mer, with the help from Akatosh himself, when he gave his own blood and combining it with Alessia's blood, effectively making her the first holder of Dragonborn title.

Maximus tried not think about that and focused to protect the emperor, even though he wasn't a Blade. "So, where exactly are we going?" he asked.

"I go to my grave. A tongue shriller than all the music calls me. You shall follow me yet for a while, then we must part."

Glenroy, who became the acting-captain after Renault's death, asked the emperor to move again. But before that, the Redguard Blade came to Maximus, "Looks like this is your lucky day, prisoner. So you better make yourself useful. Here, take this torch," he said as he handed the torch to Maximus."

Maximus took them and said, "Stop calling me "prisoner". I have a name, you know."

"And what should we call you?"

"My name is Maximus, what's yours?"

"I'm Baurus, now enough chit-chat and let's get the emperor out of here, shall we?"

With that, the group started walking to find a way out. After 15 minutes of walking, they came to what seemed to be a dead end. Glenroy couldn't contain his frustration about this, "Dammit! The gate is barred from the other side. A trap!"

Maximus knew a dead end is always a bad situation, the enemies could easily overwhelmed them if they couldn't go anywhere.

Luckily, Baurus saw a side passage they just passed earlier, and Glenroy thought it was worth a try. Before he could begin to inspect it, he heard someone coming from behind them.

"They're behind us! Wait here, sire," as he told Uriel. Baurus, seeing the battle that was about to happen, came to Maximus who was ready with Renault's katana," Stay with the emperor. Guard him with your life."

"Right, go, finish those bastards," he felt the adrenaline rushing, his muscles tensed, ready to strike anyone that came to attack the nobleman who was the highest ruler of Tamriel. Suddenly, he felt something cold touched his hand, it's the emperor. He shove a red stone inside his palm.

"I can go no further. You alone must stand against the Prince of Destruction and his mortal servants. He must not have the Amulet of Kings! Take the Amulet. Give it to Jauffre. He alone knows where to find my last son. Find him, and close shut the jaws of Oblivion."

"Wait a minute, I don't understand. I…"

"There's no time, you must go. Now!"

"No, sire. I promised to protect you…" Before he could finish his sentence, a wall behind the emperor dissolved into a warrior in the same red armor who attacked them earlier. He lifted his Bound Dagger. Maximus tried to push the emperor away from his striking distance, but he was too fast. The dagger penetrated Uriel's chest, then he fell down to the ground. Dead.

The assassin locked his eyes to Maximus and taunted him, "Stranger, you chose a bad day to take up the cause of the Septims." Maximus screamed at the top of his lungs as he swung his katana to the assassin. The assassin parried the attack and they started to exchange strikes and parries, trying to find opening that could be exploited. This assassins was not an easy opponent, even for Maximus. He managed to wear the general out, probably with the use of magic. Then Maximus was hit by the dagger and thrown down to the ground. When the assassin lifted his dagger to finish him off, Maximus kicked his knee, breaking it. The assassin screamed in pain, then Maximus pushed the katana to his chest, killing the assassin.

He stood up and ran to the emperor to check if he was still alive. When he saw the man was dead, Marcus Aurelis' face came back in his mind, his heart was full of guilt for the day was repeated, the day when he failed to protect the one who was dear to him. Sure, he was with the emperor in just a couple of hours, but the man had become like a father to him, showing mercy and kindness to a stranger like him. Then Baurus came back, tired after fighting the assassins.

"Where's Glenroy?" asked Maximus.

"He didn't make it. Please, say he was still alive," Baurus said after walking the emperor lying on his own blood. Maximus simply shook his head.

"We've failed. I've... failed. The Blades are sworn to protect the Emperor, and now he and all his heirs are dead. Wait, the amulet. Where is the amulet of kings?"

"Baurus, the emperor gave me the amulet. He told me to bring it to someone named Jauffre. Do you know who he is?" Maximus asked the Blade.

"Jauffre, huh? Did he say why?"

"He said Jauffre knows where to find his last son," Maximus explained the plan the emperor had in mind.

"Nothing I ever heard about. But Jauffre would be the one to know. He's the Grandmaster of my Order. He lives as a monk in Weynon Priory, near the city of Chorrol. It's strange. He saw something in you. Trusted you. They say it's the Dragon Blood, that flows through the veins of every septim. They see more than lesser men. The Amulet of Kings is a sacred symbol of the Empire. Most people think of the Red Dragon Crown, but that's just jewelry. The Amulet has power. Only a true heir of the Blood can wear it, they say. He must have given it to you for a reason."

"Yeah, something like that. Did you say Chorrol?" asked Maximus when he heard the name of the city.

"Yes, why? Is that a problem?"

"No, it's just… I was there when the legion caught me before putting me in the prison. I didn't do anything wrong, you see. It's just a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding? If the emperor believed you, the I see no reason why I shouldn't. You must go there quickly and deliver the amulet. But first, you must get out of here. Here, take this key. This will open the gates," Baurus told him as he gave him the key.

"What about you?" Maximus asked him.

"I'll be here to guard the emperor's body. I don't want his body being eaten by the rats."

"OK, I'll be going now, see you later, Baurus."

"You too, may Talos guide you."

Maximus liked Baurus a bit. He was definitely more friendly than Glenroy, and he even helped him with the information. He rush towards to side passage and opened the lock with the key. He arrived at the sewer, there's not many problems he encountered here other than some rats, mudcrabs, and goblins. He's crawling in the pipe and then he saw a light in the other side of the pipe. He touched the final door and opened it, and there he was, outside after 2 weeks in prison. It's nighttime and before him, there's a lake, Lake Rumare. He decided to take a bath in the lake since he smelled like a beggar in Bravil.

After a short bath, he took off to Imperial City. He needed rest so bad after the fighting in the dungeon before going to the priory. Entering the Merchant's Inn in the market district, he paid the room and go upstairs and after putting the amulet under the pillow, he laid his head and sinked into slumber.

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 **So, how do you like that? Finally the tutorial quest is over, and the next chapter will focus on the Weynon Priory quest. As usual, give me lots of reviews and feedbacks, maybe some advice about the details in the next chapter.**

 **Haljordan123, signing out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Oblivion and Gladiator.**

 **A/N: Guys, I'm so sorry if it took a long time to update this story. I will try to update more regularly. I hope you like the story, and as always, point me any crappy mistakes, okay? Enjoy!**

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Chapter 4: Weynon Priory

Walking down the street of Imperial City, Maximus never dropped his guard. He suspected anyone would recognize him and had the guards arrest him. He visited The Fighting Chance for a brand new weapon. Previously, he returned Renault's katana to Baurus and his own weapons were confiscated by the legion. He carefully look for a perfect choice among the swords, bow, and axes, and he finally purchased a steel shortsword and a leather shield. Then he proceed to Best Defense to buy some armor, and he chose leather armor from Maro Rufus. He always prefer light armor to heavy armor for agility, and also the money he had from Baurus was limited, so the fancy items were not the options right now.

As he walked to the city gate, leading out of Imperial City, he looked at the map once again to see his destination. _"Weynon Priory. I've never visited the place, but I passed it several times. It should be an easy journey."_ When he was about to open the gate, he heard someone called his name.

"General Maximus, is that you? Is that really you?" He turned around and saw an Imperial man, shorter than him in blue & green outfit. He scanned the man for a few seconds, trying to get a name, then his eyes recognized him, the only person that always use honorific to him.

"Wait, Cicero? Is that you?" he asked with excited tone.

"Yes, General, it's me. Oh gods, I thought I'll never see you again. Where have you been?" Cicero grabbed Maximus' arm with such enthusiasm. Meeting his master again after all this time surely brought enormous joy to his heart.

"I am with the Fighter Guild with Juba and Hagen. Well, was. What happened to you? Are you well?" Maximus asked Cicero, slightly worried about him.

"As you can see, I am very well, General. When we arrived in this world, I was separated from the rest of you. But if I may, what are you doing in Imperial City?"

"We can discuss that later, but right now, I need to get out of the city." Maximus knew the sooner he was out of the city, the less likely the guards would catch him.

"Let me come with you, General. Travelling with a companion is always better than travelling alone. Please wait at the stable outside, I'll pick up some provision." Cicero quickly headed back to his house in Elven Garden District, taking everything for the road. He packed his things in a bag, then continued heading to the gate to meet Maximus.

"Alright, I've got everything we need. Shall we get going now?" Cicero asked the general.

"Sure, let's go." Then they started walking past Weye, towards Chorrol. The road to the Priory was ascending and normally, it took several hours to get to Chorrol from Imperial City. After 5 years, it was understandable if Maximus was curious about what happened to his friend. Did he have a trouble living in Tamriel? What did he do for a living? Did he have a family?

"Cicero, I must tell you how happy I am to see you again. I just hope it's in a better circumstances. So, tell me again what happened after you arrived in Tamriel." He asked his best friend for information.

"Well, I got separated from the rest of you and Pluto seemed to drop me near Aleswell. I asked the innkeeper there, and he told me everything I need to know. Then I went to the city, trying to find a bed for my head. Luckily, I had some money so I could stay in Merchant's Inn." He explained with a small smile. "After that, I asked the people there to find you and apparently, they had no idea what I was talking about. So I thought it was a good idea to get some information from the news. I kept watching for 5 months for nothing. Then I heard about the Mages Guild, so I walked over there and applied to become their member."

Martin was amazed about his story, he knew Cicero was never a fighter like him, but to be a mage was something he never thought about.

"Did they accept you?" he asked his friend.

Cicero shook his head a little, "Only after I completed all recommendation from all other cities. I needed 8 months to go back and forth across Cyrodiil. And now I have the rank of Conjurer."

Maximus nodded at Cicero's achievement. Travelling across a province was no small feat. It took stamina as well as physical strength and survival skill, considering the bandits out there.

"I just want you to know that I'm happy to see you alive and well. We have been lokking for you across Cyrodiil, but none of us could find you anywhere. Perhaps you were exploring caves, mines, and whatnot." Maximus said with a smile on his face, definitely happy to see a friendly face around him.

"As I am, General. I didn't know what I would do, if I lost you. Seeing you again already makes me feel like we're home, on Earth." Cicero replied with the same relieved feeling. "By the way, where are you going, General? What happened that makes you in such a hurry?" He asked after they were quite far from Imperial City where no one was around them.

Hearing the question really made Maximus stopped from walking, he knew that was a serious thing that need a full attention. He didn't know how Cicero will take his answer, but he saw no other way to explain this.

"Listen, Cicero, do you trust me?"

"Of course, Maximus, what?"

"Okay, I was in prison the other day. But it was a mistake, I'm innocent. The guard took me, rather than the actual criminal." He tried to explained his condition, hoping his friend would believe him. "So I was there in the prison. And, in know this will sound crazy but the emperor himself came to my cell to escape from his attacker, whoever they are. I followed them through an underground cave, from which I got some gears, and I tried to help the emperor and his guards, but we failed, he was killed. Before he died, told me that I must help Tamriel with something, I think it's has something to do with the mission Pluto gave me, you remember?" Maximus asked the Imperial friend after explaining further.

"Yes, he said you must help saving Tamriel. But that didn't answer my question yet, where are you going?" Cicero said as he put up his hands, definitely confused.

"I must get out of the city immediately, because I don't want the guards to notice me as one of the prisoner. I don't know if they know about my escape, but I can't take that risk. As for my destination,-" Maximus paused a little bit and looking their surrounding, making sure no one will see what he would do next.

"The emperor gave me this," he pulled out the Amulet of Kings from his bag and showed it to Cicero who instantly put his hands on his mouth.

"By the Nine, is that the Amulet of Kings?! What the Oblivion?" Cicero couldn't contain his shocked and shouting in the wild would not help the situation. So Maximus quickly put his hand over Cicero's mouth to shut him up.

"Be quiet! He told me to bring this to Weynon Priory, to someone named Jauffre and to find his secret son, his last heir since his other children were killed during the attack. Now, I need you to trust me on this. I did not steal it, nor did I kill the emperor. I just have to bring it there, this Jauffre better know what to do. Now, can you calm yourself down?"

Cicero nodded slowly and he tried to digest everything Maximus just said. His former general was there when the emperor was assassinated. He was a witness, and he couldn't let someone that important to go on his own, not with the precious cargo. What if some bandits found the amulet and decided to sell it? What if it fall in the wrong hands?

Not wanting to know the outcome of the what-ifs, he decided to accompanied Maximus to the priory and see from there. "You are in great danger, General. You can't go alone like this. I think I will stick with you to meet this Jauffre. We can't waste more time, we must reach the priory before dark. It would be safer that way."

Then they continued walking again, be vigilant to any noise and movement. But the luck was on their side for there were no bandits along the way, only deers and some wolves that were no match for the two. After two more hours, finally they saw the priory stood out from the forest. They came closer to the yard and met a Dunmer herder with the horses and sheeps. When he saw our companion, he greeted them first, "Hello, Traveller. I'm the shepherd here, Eronor's the name and this is Weynon Priory."

"Thank you, I need to see Jaufrre. Do you know where he is?" Maximus asked straight to the point.

"If he's not sleeping or eating, he'll be fussing with his books, I reckon, over in the Priory House." Eronor replied with a smile.

"Thank you again. Come on, Cicero." Maximus opened the door and walked inside. It was a comfy place with a table and foods on it, then he saw a monk standing in the hallway.

"Excuse me, are you Jauffre?"

"No, I'm Brother Piner. It's nice to meet you. But if you seek Jauffre, he is upstairs, reading his books," said the man.

Maximus thanked him and soon went upstairs. There he saw a Breton man, sitting behind the desk with his head down on some books. _"He must be Jauffre. Finally, I can give him the amulet. It's been a great burden to protext this thing."_

"Um, hello, sir? My name is Maximus, and this is Cicero, my friend. I'm looking for Jauffre. I was told I can find him here in Weynon Priory." He politely asked the monk.

"I'm Brother Jauffre. What do you want?" Jauffre spat at him. This guy surely didn't want to have some chit-chat.

"I'm here to deliver this amulet to you," Maximus put down the amulet on the table and when Jauffre saw it, he felt so shocked on how the symbol of the Septim bloodline could end up in the hands of a random man before him. Could he possibly steal the amulet, or even murder the emperor?

He examined the amulet carefully, "Yes, this is the Amulet of Kings. How did you get it?"

Maximus soon explained on how he met the emperor in prison and how he joined the Blades to protect the emperor from the group that murdered him and his sons. Jauffre struggled to believe this man who was in prison, but earned the emperor's trust.

"As strange as your story are, I believe you. If the emperor trusted you with this amulet, I see no reason not to. Thank you for bringing the amulet here. We'll keep it safe. You may see us as monks here, but actually we are all Blades, living here to fulfill our duty in secret. You can leave now," he told Maximus.

Then Maximus went on to the next matter, "There is another thing, the emperor wanted me to find his last heir, do you know about him?"

"Yes, I do. Only a few people know about his existence. His name is Martin, and he lives as a priest of Akatosh in Kvatch. You should bring him here, so we can restore him to the throne," Jauffre explained as he stood up.

After getting the explanation, Cicero had his own question, "Excuse me, Brother Jauffre. If I may, can you explain to us why must his identity be kept secret? Is he in some sort of danger?"

Maximus nodded in agreement with him, it was a good question. They needed to know everything about this Martin fellow if they were to find him there. It would allow them to prepare to any possible situation they might encounter.

Jauffre started to walk around the room with his hands behind his back, realizing this was a very serious question. "I was with Blades that served close to the emperor. But a few years ago, I was moved to this station. Then one night, the emperor came to me and brought a basket with him. He told me to protect what's inside no matter what. After he left, I opened it and saw a baby child inside. He didn't tell me, but I knew he was his son. We gave him up for adoption to a family, and they report to us regularly about his condition," he finished his story with a sigh while looking at Maximus in his eyes.

Slowly, Maximus tried to accept this information. It looked like they got an illegitimate heir to protect. The emperor must had known this would happen, so he brought him here. _"What a clever bastard!",_ he thought to himself.

"He also told me about closing shut the jaws of Oblivion. What does it mean? Do you know that?" Maximus asked Jauffre again, because this prophetic dream really didn't make any sense to him.

"Ah, that phrase refers to Mehrunes Dagon, the Daedric Prince of Destruction, one of the rulers of the realm of Oblivion. He must had foresaw it."

"Foreseeing through a dream? How can that even possible? Asked Cicero, intrigued about this. Divination was something rare even in the mages community. How could a person that has never had trainings in magicka performed such a feat?

" It is the blood of the kings, I think. The coronation of each new Emperor is sealed when he uses the Amulet of Kings to light the Dragonfires in the Temple of the One. The Dragonfires of Akatosh remain lit until the death of the Emperor. His successor then lights them anew upon ascending to the throne. With Emperor Uriel dead and no successor crowned, the Temple of the One will be dark for the first time in centuries," Jauffre gave them the explanation, certainly he didn't know the details.

"But enough talk, waste no time. You must bring Martin here before the enemy does. I keep a few things here in my chest to resupply traveling Blades. Help yourself to whatever you need. Prior Maborel and Brother Piner may also be able to help. You should speak to them about it if you haven't already. May Talos guide you." he urged them to leave while showing a chest next to his table.

Inside, Maximus found an additional sword and Cicero took the bow and arrows, as well as a dagger with him. He trained his marksman skill, just in case his magic failed him. He never thought that day would come now. After saying goodbye to Jauffre and had some lunch, they went downstairs and outside the priory. But just when they passed the stable, a voice called them, it was Piner.

"Wait a minute!" Maximus and Cicero stopped and turned their head to said voice. "Brother Jauffre told me that you can use Prior Maborel's horse, here he is. The faster you can go, the greater the chance to bring Martin alive," he said while handing the reins to Maximus.

"Thank you so much, Brother. We really appreciate your help. I'll make sure he come back safely." Cicero really could use this horse now. If his feet could talk, they would scream by now. He immediately joined Maximus up on the saddle and in less than a minute, they were galloping towards Kvatch where the future emperor lied, unknowing about his destiny.

Meanwhile, inside a cave near Lake Arius, two red-robbed figures approached a high dais where a man stood on it. "Master, we managed to kill the emperor and his sons. But we failed to retrieved the amulet." One of them said to the man.

"But our spies have found something today, Master. Two stranger came to Weynon Priory this noon, they are not like any strangers for one of them is heavily armored, and the other wore a mage robe. They left the priory towards Kvatch later in the afternoon." The other one informed the man that appeared to be their leader.

He said nothing for a few second while walking to the giant statue of four-armed monster on the dais. He looked to the statue with his eyes closed, then he turned around to his followers.

"You two, go to Kvatch with haste. Open a great gate there, as the lord Dagon said to me. Let the city burn in fire and brimstone, leave none alive. Walk with our lord Dagon."

"Praise be." The two followers answered their leader before heading out of the cave.

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 **Dun dun duuuuunnn, who is that? I bet you already know the guy. So the next chapter will be about Find the Heir and Breaking The Siege of Kvatch quest. It may be a bit long, so be patient with me, please. Do you like it? Please give me lots of reviews.**

 **Haljordan123 is out.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Elder Scrolls and Gladiator. They belong to their respective owners.**

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Chapter 5: Oblivion Gate

The sun started to set when they reached the border of Skingrad, where Maximus decided to make a camp there. He unloaded a few things from the back of the horse to make sure the beast get a rest he deserved, while Cicero went to the bush to collect firewood and lighted them with his fire spell. After they had a dinner with some roast venison, Cicero went again to find some herbs for potion making. Luckily, he brought some alchemy apparatus with him. He then shared the potions with Maximus, which is the healing and fatigue potions that were very useful for a fighter, while he kept some potions of sorcery to keep his magicka full.

He sat beside Maximus, seeing him staring at the fire. "Are you alright, General?" His question found no answer as Maximus drifted in his thoughts.

"Maximus?" This time, Maximus found himself back to reality. Cicero barely called him with his name, so hearing that surely caught his attention.

"I'm fine, Cicero." He answered with a straight face.

"You're worried. I can see that. There's something on your mind." Cicero said, analyzing the man next to him.

"It's just Claudia and Octavius. It's been a while after the last time I saw them. Back when I was alive, I could go for months without seeing them. But now after experiencing death and be reunited with them, suddenly there's a fear if losing them. Do you feel the same, Cicero?" said Maximus. His time in prison clearly gave him numerous kinds of emotion, the ones he never felt in ages and now, the trees and the stars in the wild made a perfect setting to think about many things.

He came here without any clear idea about anything, but now getting orders to do stuff gave him the sense of responsibility. Well of course, as a member of the fighters guild, he was no stranger to duty and responsibility. But this one felt more important because the fate of the world might depend on his actions.

"I uh... I'm not sure how to answer that, I didn't have family back then. My father left me when I was young, then my mother died a few years later. I lived on the street until you found me. My life here is pretty much the same. Perhaps if there are something precious to me, it's you, your family, our friends. How are they, your family, i mean?" Cicero answered after sharing a bit of his feeling.

"I hope they're fine in Bravil. Claudia is an excellent trader, she runs an honest business and the people like her. And Octavius, he's really a splitting image of his father. He joined the Fighters Guild, although he's still an apprentice, taking jobs like pest exterminations. Sometimes i fear for his safety, but after a couple years, I stop trying to warn him because he's an adult now. I just hope he won't end up on the wrong side of the law." Maximus finished as he taking a sip from a bottle of wine.

Suddenly, Cicero stood up with fire in his eyes. "Don't worry, General. If mages guild ever wants me to harm you or your family, I will gladly leave them. You know where my loyalty is, believe me."

Maximus let out a laugh when he saw his friend doing that. His loyalty never ceased to amuse him.

"No, I don't think they'll do something like that. They're smart people, so it's unlikely they are against us when we tried to restore the empire they live in. But I thank you, Cicero, for being with me. And please, call me Maximus. I'm no longer a general, especially here." Maximus said with a smile, then sighed as he looked up to the night sky.

"Look, it's late already. Let's have some sleep. Tomorrow we won't stop until we reach Kvatch, so let's not waste our strength, Cicero." said Maximus before laid down to rest his head, then Cicero did the same.

* * *

They woke up early in the morning and continued heading west to Kvatch. The forest is calm with the occasional sound of birds, but Maximus still made the horse to run for he knew the person he's looking for was in great danger. When they were near the city, they saw people in the tents, some got bruises and burn marks. The women tried to calm their children and the elders were resting. Maximus was started by what he saw. They should not be here in the first place because this was just the outskirt of the city. The city was up on the hill, he knew this from the earlier contracts. He decided to ask one of them when he saw a male Altmer ran towards them.

"Come on! Run while there's still time! The Guard still holds the road, but it's only a matter of time before they're overwhelmed!" He panted after sprinting towards Maximus and Cicero.

"What is going on? Why is everyone here, outside the city?" asked Maximus, getting off the horse, followed by Cicero soon after.

"Gods' blood, you don't know, do you?! Daedra overran Kvatch last night! There were glowing portals outside the walls! Gates to Oblivion itself! There was a huge creature... something out of a nightmare... came right over the walls... blasting fire. They swarmed around it... killing..." the Altmer continued, Maximus could see the fear clearly in his face. This one definitely saw some horror he never saw before. People don't react like that on daily basis, except in extreme situations.

Cicero came up beside Maximus, "That is not possible. Surely the whole city can't be destroyed."

"You don't believe me? Were you here last night? No? Then go and see for yourself! Kvatch is a smoking ruin! We're all that's left, do you understand me? Everyone else is dead!" He shot back at Cicero, feeling more frustrated by the minute.

Maximus looked up at the smoke that rose to the sky. He worried his mission was ended prematurely. "How could you escape from the city along with these people?"

"It was Savlian Matius... some of the other guards... helped some of us escape... they cut their way out, right through the city gates. Savlian says they can hold the road. No... no, I don't believe him. Nothing can stop them. If you'd seen it, you'd know... I'm getting out of here before it's too late! They'll be here any minute, I'm telling you. Run while you can!"

Then the Altmer run away downhill from the two, but Cicero grabbed his tunic. "Wait a minute, what is your name? Perhaps we can help-?

"Why does it matter? There's nothing left here for me. I'm getting out as soon as I can. Help the others if you want," he interrupted Cicero's words, then continued to run away from Kvatch.

With his departure, Maximus and Cicero didn't have another option but to keep going uphill towards the camp. Moaning and grunting soon be heard from all around them. These people need a treatment for the wounds. They started walking for a minute until a Nord woman approached them.

"Are you from the legion? Please help us, there are so many injured people and I've been making healing potion all night, trying to save them. I could use some help here."

Cicero moved to the front to the woman, he wanted to help with his skill, but his heart told otherwise. "I'm sorry, Miss, I want to help you, really. But we are on an urgent matter, to be honest. Do you know a man named Martin?" He asked the woman who felt disappointed of not having help she expected.

"Well, I didn't see him anywhere in this camp, perhaps Savlian Matius could help you more."

She mentioned the name again. _"He must be the man in charge of the defense. I must see him right away if I want to see this mission succeeded."_ Maximus thought to himself.

"Thank you for you information, Miss. But we'll be on our way now. Come now, Cicero. Let's move again." He called Cicero as he waved his hand.

They climbed uphill for some time and then they noticed something strange happening. The weather was acting unnaturally. The sky became red as blood and there were the sound of thunder across the crimson sky. The plant withered, and in place of trees, there were some kind of weird, brown vines coming from the ground. The top of the hill was not far ahead, and then they saw it. A massive and horrible gate that spewing fire, the land around it was dead and had a color like the cold lava. There was also a barricade stood between the gate and Maximus. Some soldiers guarded the gate with their swords unsheathed. One of them walked to Maximus and Cicero.

"Stand back, civilian! This is no place for you. Get back to the encampment at once!"

"What is going on here?" Maximus asked him about the situation.

"We lost the damned city, that's what happened! It was too much, too fast. We were overwhelmed. Couldn't even get everyone out. There are still people trapped in there. Some made it into the Chapel, but others were just run down in the streets. The Count and his men are still holed up in the castle. And now we can't even get back into the city to help them, with that damned Oblivion Gate blocking the way." Savlian told him in frustration.

" _Oblivion Gate? So that's what it is, huh? The Emperor really expected me to deal with this? Goblins and trolls are on thing, but this is a demonic realm for gods' sake!"_ Maximus looked to the gate with grim expression, feeling defeated.

"Maximus, what do we do now? How are we supposed to get inside the city with this infernal structure blocking the way?" Cicero asked him. Maximus was a general in his time on Earth, so asking about strategy was the only sensible thing to do.

"I'm not so sure right now. Perhaps you can give us some advice, Savlian. What's your call?" The answer was uncalled for. It's rare to see someone like him have no idea what to do. But the gate was not something he deal with every day.

"The only thing we can do. We'll try to hold our ground, that's what. If we can't hold this barricade, those beasts could march right down and overrun the encampment. I have to try and protect the few civilians that are left. It's all I can do now." Savlien murmured to the hopeless situation.

"What happened to Martin? Do you see him before this happened?" asked Cicero as he remembered the only reason why they were in that place.

"You mean the priest? Last I saw him, he was leading a group towards the Chapel of Akatosh. If he's lucky, he's trapped in there with the rest of them, at least safe for the moment. If he's not..." He stopped his sentence, trying not to think the worst-case scenario.

Maximus was thinking, weighing everything around them. How to get past the gate? How to get inside the city? How to bring Martin alive? Then he said to Savlian, "Let me and my friend go to the city to see if everybody is okay. We'll go around the gate, so we need you and your men to protect us."

"Understood, it seems you can take care of yourself. Our numbers are not many, but we'll do everything to claim our home back. And-"

Before he said anything else, there were a shout coming from behind them. Two men came running from the encampment. Seeing them made Maximus and Cicero's face overcame with joy. They were Juba and Hagen, from the Fighter Guild.

"Halt! Who are you people? What business do you have here?" A guard asked them out, certainly they didn't know them.

"We are from the Fighters Guild. We were not far from Kvatch when we saw the smoke. We come to investigate the source of the smoke." Hagen said to the guard.

"The Fighters Guild is here? This is good! We could use every man capable of fighting to help us defending the city." Savlian asked while running towards Juba and Hagen. But their answer brought his moral back down.

"Not the whole guild, we both are the only members here. But we still can help you out, right?" said Juba, who then smiled and hugged Maximus.

Then they saw the tiny man behind him, it was a face they never saw for a long time. "Hey! What do we have here? It's you, Cicero! It's so good to see you again. How are you?" It was Hagen to speak first, hugging Cicero, and because he was much taller than him, he accidentally lifted Cicero off the ground a few inches.

After being put down, Cicero greeted his friend with a smile drawn across his face, "I'm alright, Hagen. You two look like in a good company, with the Fighters Guild."

"I could say the same about you. You are from Mages Guild, I presume?"

Cicero simply nodded and then Maximus said, "The pleasantries could wait, but we have a trouble at the moment. We're trying to reach inside the city, I want you two to help Savlian here to back us up, while we get around the gate. Do you mind?"

Juba tried to hold a chuckle, then Hagen told Maximus, "Don't worry about us, Maximus. We can face whatever thrown at as from this...thing." He finished when he looked at the fiery gate in front of them.

Savlian led them to their position, as well as his men, in front of the barricade. Maximus and Cicero gathered their inner strength, preparing to run to the city gate. "Are you ready, Cicero?"

"Always, Maximus."

"Alright, then. On my mark, three, two, one, go!" They ran around the gate, then towards the Kvatch gate. As predicted, a horde of daedra poured out from the Oblivion Gate and started charging to them. Then Savlian ordered his men to attack them. Soon, they engaged them in combat. Hagen furiously smashed a stunted scamp in its head with his mithril warhammer, meanwhile Juba busied himself by stabbing another one with his elven shortsword on one hand and protecting himself with a silver shield on another. Some of the daedra who managed to escape from the defender shot a fireball to Maximus. The fire hit the ground not far from Maximus, then Cicero shot back with the fireball of his own. Showing a fined skill in sorcery, he shot multiple times, killing them, until finally, Maximus pushed the city gate and allowed them to get in.

Inside the city was no better than the outside. The buildings were in ruins, the walls became rubble, there were no recognizable structure other than the Chapel of Akatosh who seemingly untouched by the daedra. Moving to the chapel, Maximus and Cicero met another resistance, mostly stunted scamps and several clannfears. Cicero casted lightning spell on a clannfear, then Maximus killed it with a slash of his sword after the creature stunned to move. It was quickly becoming a pattern where Cicero gave the ranged attack and Maximus finished it with melee attack. Finally they made it to the chapel doors, wasting no time, they went inside and found a great numbers of people in there.

A Redguard guard in Kvatch uniform greeted them, "What's it like out there? We were beginning to fear we were the only survivors."

"Savlian Matius is holding the line, keeping the daedra from storming the refugee camp." Maximus told her.

"Oh, thank The Divines. It all happened so fast. It was all we could do to round up the survivors and try and get them to safety. We've failed them miserably. How did you get in the city?"

"We got some help to allow us pass the gate. Now, do you know someone named Martin here? Savlian told me I could find him in the chapel." Maximus asked the guard.

"You mean Brother Martin? He is right there, next to the altar."

"Thank you. May the Nine help us." He finished while going to the altar. The man she pointed to was appeared to be in his 40's, wearing a dark grey robe, with a shoulder long hair. He was talking to a female refugee.

Maximus approached him, while Cicero tried to catch his breath by sitting on the bench. The constant use of magic almost drained his magicka, so he took a gulp of one potion of sorcery.

"Excuse me, Ma'am, but I need to talk to the priest. It's important, sorry." The woman only nodded with a slight annoyed look on her face.

Maximus then faced the priest, "Are you Brother Martin?"

"Yes. I'm a priest. Do you need a priest? I don't think I'll be much help to you. I'm having trouble understanding the gods right now. If all this is part of a divine plan, I'm not sure I want to have anything to do with it." He replied with such a pessimistic attitude, turning his head a little bit.

"I'm not so sure about the so-called divine plan, but a friend told me to find you and get you out of here. You are in great danger." Maximus said, attempting to bring Martin with him.

"Of course I'm in danger. But I'm needed here. I can't leave. I assume you didn't risk your own life to come here to tell me something I already know. Who are you and what do you want?" Martin shot back, mocking Maximus' analysis.

Maximus' patience was running dry, he pushed Martin to a pillar, "Look, I have friends out there, defending against the daedra and I don't have a plan to lose any of my friends today. So you better listen to me very carefully. We have a plan to get these people out to safety. You must come with us."

Maximus scolded him, looking straight to his eyes. The other refugees started to look at them, wondering why was their priest being pinned by a stranger. The guards tried to intervene, but Cicero was quick enough to calm them down, telling that Maximus was just tired after going through all the danger outside.

"What plan? What are you talking about? I prayed to Akatosh all through that terrible night, but no help came. Only more daedra. What can you possibly know that would help me make sense of this? If you came to me for help, you're more of a fool than you look. Look around. What good is a priest?" Martin retorted quickly, which was not a good move because now, he really tried Maximus' patience.

Maximus closed his eyes for a second, trying not to shout at this man. "Let me explain it to you slowly so you understand." He took a deep breath to calm himself, "You are Emperor Uriel Septim's son. He was assassinated along with his other sons, and you are the only one remaining. That gate outside the city was opened to get you. So you have to come with us." He finished explaining the plan, trying to talk with the volume as low as possible to avoid unwanted attention.

"Emperor Uriel Septim? You think the emperor is my father? No, you must have the wrong man. I am a priest of Akatosh. My father was a farmer."

"No, the farmer was your adopted father. The emperor is your birth father."

"And the entire city is destroyed to get at me? Why? Because I'm the emperor's son?"

Maximus simply say "yes" to his question, making him very confused. He was not to blame, though. It was a lot of information to take, considering he lived his life, believing he was a simple priest, raised by a simple farmer.

Martin took a seat, scratching his un-itchy hair. His whole life was a lie, designed by somebody for some reason. Yesterday, he was just a priest who serve the people of Kvatch, spending his days praying to Akatosh, then the Oblivion Gate opened, and suddenly he was an heir to the Empire throne

He rose from the bench to meet Maximus again, "This is too much for me, but even if what you say is true, I won't abandon these people to their fate. I'll go with you when we can all leave here together."

Sure there were a lot of people in the chapel, and if they just went with Martin, it was unlikely the gate would close by itself. The refugee on the city outskirt and the guards at the barricade would be soon overwhelmed.

"I guess you're right, I have to do something about the gate. I'll be back soon, and when I do, you better choose wisely. Cicero, we're leaving." Maximus called him, as he went to the doors.

"We're leaving? How about Martin? He's not going with us?" Cicero asked.

"No, he can't leave those people alone while the gate is still opened. Let's head back to Savlian. Ready?"

The daedra had been spawned back from the Oblivion Gate. They were quickly replacing their fallen comrades, so Maximus and Cicero had to fight them again to reach the city gate. The fight was rather short after they rested for a while. When they reached the barricade, they could see Savlian and his men were wearing out from the battle. Some of his men were dead, others injured.

"How goes it? Did you find the priest? Is he alive?" asked Savlian.

"He is well, along with some refugees and guards. But they won't last much longer. The chapel will be breached by the incoming daedra. Is there any way to close this thing?" Maximus said, panted a little bit.

"I don't know how to close this Gate, but it must be possible, because the enemy closed the ones they opened during the initial attack. You can see the marks on the ground where they were, with the Great Gate right in the middle. I sent men into the Gate, to see if they could find a way to shut it. They haven't come back."

"So the only way to close it is from the inside? I think we have no choice. I'll go in there. Juba, you come with me, I don't know what I will encounter in there, so you will back me up. Cicero, stay here and help these men. Heal them and fight with them if you have to. Hagen, help Savlian defending their city as long as possible. If we don't come back, you must report this to the guild to bring reinforcement. Let's do this." Maximus finished gave them orders. Savlian look at the man with a newfound wonder. He commanded his friend with such authority, he must a veteran in the guild because leadership could only be learned through time in the battlefield.

Maximus was about to jump into the gate when Savlien called him, "Wait! One more thing, if you can, find out what happened to them. If they're alive, help them finish the job. If not, see what you can do on your own. The best I can say is, good luck. If you make it back alive, we'll be waiting for you."

Replying him, Maximus gave a simple nod before steeling himself as he and Juba walked into the fiery gate. The moment passed it, he felt the whoosh of fire swirling in his ear, then he fell to his knees. He felt like he's burning from the inside. The experience was even worse than when he travelled through Pluto's portal. On his left, Juba was screaming from the exact same feeling. They began to stand up after the sensation subsided.

* * *

All around them was a barren wasteland, not like those in Africa, because the soil beneath their feet felt so hot like the air and next to them, there was a lake that contained lava, instead of water. The sky was the same like the one in Kvatch, red like blood with screaming lightning, striking terror to anybody who heard it.

"I guess it's safe to say, we're not in Cyrodiil anymore." Juba murmured.

"We're not even in Tamriel anymore." Maximus replied plainly.

"Before coming the Kvatch, I was told by the emperor to close shut the jaws of Oblivion. I think we're in one. Mehrunes Dagon's to be exact. The Daedric Prince of Destruction," he continued.

"From what I've heard about the daedric cult, the Oblivion realm is the extension of its prince. So this one must be full of destruction-" Juba tried to speak, but interrupted by incoming fire by one of the scamp. The fire missed him, and they started to run to the direction of the attack. The scamp fired once again, but its attack was blocked with Juba's shield. Then Maximus lunged to separate its head from its body.

"And trying to kill us, too." Maximus added Juba's last sentence.

They continued to walk when they heard a sound of metal clashing. Not too far from them, a guard fought for his life against a clannfear. The creature pushed him hard, causing him to fall and release his sword. When it tried to finish him, Juba threw one of his daggers to its head, killing it instantly.

"Thank the Nine! I never thought I'd see another friendly face" The guard said to them, after Juba helped him get up.

"What's your name? What happened here? Where are the others?" Maximus asked.

"I'm Ilend Vonius. The others... taken... they were taken to the tower! Captain Matius sent us in to try and close the gate. We were ambushed, trapped, and picked off. I managed to escape, but the others are strewn across that bridge. They took Menien off to the big tower. You've got to save him! I'm getting out of here!"

"Get back to the gate, Captain Savlian is still there, guarding the barricade. Leave the rest to us."

"The Captain is still holding the barricade? I figured I was the last one left alive. Alright. I'll try to get out of here and let the Captain know what's going on."

After he ran back, Maximus and Juba continued walking towards the said tower. It was a massive tower, soaring in the center of the island. A few daedras later, they reached the door. They walked inside and saw a big fire pit in the center of the room, shooting the fire upward. Another scamp attacked them, Maximus jumped to avoid getting hit by the fire, then slashed its head open. Another daedra came charging to him, this time was a humanoid. He wore a red and black armor with a big longsword. This daedra, called dremora, let out a guttural noise when he swung his blade. Juba and Maximus fought him, then finished him when they push their respective sword into his neck and stomach.

Juba sheathed his elven longsword and took the longsword from the dremora. They went through the door leading upstairs. There, they were welcomed by a daedra sorcerer who summon a scamp to attack them. But after watching it dead easily, he ran from Juba who killed him with an arrow that struck him in his back. They push forward and upward, slaying more daedra as they went and avoiding traps here and there.

After crossing a bridge to another tower, they went up to the upper level and found a cage with a living man inside it. Seeing two fighter on the way up, he shouted for help, "Over here! Quickly!"Maximus rushed to the cage when a dremora made his move to attack him.

"You should not be here, mortal. Your blood is forfeit, your flesh is mine!" The dremora taunted Maximus as he swung his mace. It hit Maximus' arm, drawing blood from the wound, then Juba covered him by attacking the dremora. He showed his skilled in blades when he took a dagger to be the companion of his sword. Parrying and striking with his dual-blade, he pushed back the dremora to the edge of the platform before the creature fell to his death. Maximus got back on his feet after taking a potion of healing. He tried to free the man inside the cage.

"Quickly, quickly! There's no time! You must get to the top of the large tower. The Sigil Keep, they call it. That's what keeps the Oblivion Gate open! Find the Sigil Stone. Remove it, and the Gate will close! Hurry! The Keeper has the key- you must get the key!". The prisoner said frantically.

Then Juba headed downstairs to the dremora's corpse and took the key from his body. He run back up to show it to the prisoner.

"Get to the Sigil Keep, and find the Sigil Stone. It's the only way."

"You must be Menien. How about you? How to open this door?" asked Maximus.

"Don't worry about me, there's no time! Anything from outside the gate will be back in Tamriel when the gate's closed. Get moving!"

They headed back to the previous tower and finally, they were on the last level of the tower. Pushing it, they found themselves in another room where the floor was squishing when they stepped on it. A fountain allowed them to replenish their health, healing their wounds. Then they went inside the main chamber, and looking up, they could see the glowing stone on the top of the room where the shooting fire ended on it. There was two sets of stairs to the next level. They climbed the stairs only to be greeted by two daedras, which quite strong since they guarded the most important room in the tower. Then they move up one more time to the platform where the stone rested in the anchor.

"So this is it, huh? You just have to take the stone, and the gate will close." Maximus said to himself.

Then three more daedras came rushing to the scene and the fight ensued. Juba was struggling to keep two dremoras from getting near the stone, while Maximus was busy trying to defeat a dremora. The victory was near when the dremora slashed Maximus' leg. He screamed in pain, but he bashed his shield to the dremora's face, making him staggered, then slashed his neck. The dremora was finally dead, but Juba still got his hands full by the other ones. Feeling exhausted, Maximus walked limpingly to the stone, his hand was over it, and he could feel a strange energy coming out if that thing.

:Take it! Grab the stone, Maximus! Now!" Juba hollered from across the platform, feeling overwhelmed his opponents.

Maximus let out a roar as he grabbed and yanked it from its place, sending a massive flame everywhere. He fell on his back with the sigil stone still in his grasp. The dremora who were fighting Juba suddenly flee in terror when they saw a white light filling the room. Juba slowly crawled to his friend, then the whole world became white and silent.

* * *

 **So that's chapter 5. The next chapter will cover the journey back to Weynon Priory and to Cloud Ruler Temple. As usual, send me your reviews!**

 **Until next time,**

 **haljordan123**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Elder Scrolls and Gladiator. They belong to their respective owners.**

 **A/N: Sorry for the delay, guys. I've been busy playing Skyrim and doing all other stuffs. I'll try to write more often if I can. But, here it is. On we go!**

Chapter 6: Castle Kvatch

Kvatch was drenched in heavy torrent after the gate was closed. Maximus slowly opened his eyes, tried to feel his surroundings. He wondered if he was still alive or already back in Elysium, or Aetherius for that matter, since he was in Tamriel. He saw some familiar faces, Juba, Savlian, Cicero, Hagen, and the guards were shouting so apparently he was alive. Hagen get him back on his feet to see if he was okay.

"Oh, thank the divines, Maximus, I thought we lost you for good. You were gone for so long." Hagen said with a big smile on his face.

"How long did we go?"

"Almost 6 hours."

"And how long was I out?"

"Not more than 10 minutes, I think."

" _Not bad, Maximus. Not bad."_

He watched the remains of the gate behind him and it's reduced to mere rubble, the spikey gate was still standing, but the fire was no more. Then Savlian walked to him to congratulate him.

"Maximus, you dog, you did it! You actually close the damn gate! I knew you can do it. How did you do it?" He asked with so much enthusiasm.

Maximus held out his hand and showed him the stone from Oblivion.

"This stone was what hold the gate open, I took it from the tower, then we were sent back here." _"Wait a second. We?"_ Then he remembered, he should get one more companion from the Oblivion, Menien.

"Menien, where is he? Did he make it?" He asked Savlian about him.

A hand touched his shoulder, it was Juba, "Don't worry about him, like he said, anything that do not belong in Oblivion are thrown back here, including him. They took him to the camp below so they can treat his wounds. He's very weak, but he'll recover."

The news comforted his heart greatly. Menien has been caged in there for who knows how long. And torture he received from the daedra would surely weakened his body and spirit.

Savlian came up towards the two, he still remembered how he became the first one to bring Menien to safety after the gate was gone. The guard was always the brightest among his troops, so seeing him alive brought much joy to him.

"Well, I'm glad you rescue my men, but we need to reclaim the city. The gate maybe closed, but the daedra is still out there. The only way we can cast them back to where they belong is by our swords. I've lost a few guards while you were in there, so I could use some help here. What say you?"

Maximus looked at his friend who shared a tiny smile with him soon after.

"We can't abandon your people to death after this far. Of course we'll help!"

"Haha! Good, let's get down to business, shall we?" Savlian smiled. Then he addressed the rest of his men, "Boys, take your position! Draw your weapons, ready your spells if you're a mage! Let's finish those bastards once and for all!"

They walked in front of the barricade. Swords, spears, hammers were drawn. Arrows were pulled and then we've got Cicero who readied his shock and fire spell in his hands. Their muscles tensed, ready to jump into action at any second.

"For Kvatch!" With that shout, Savlian ordered them to stormed the city. Arrows flied and struck theirs targets, scamps. Some of them didn't even get a chance to attack. Maximus swung his sword and decapitate another scamp, Juba did the same with his own. A clannfear met its demise when Hagen crush its skull with a bash of his hammer, then he hit the corpse just to make sure it's dead. Cicero fired lightning bolt to a scamp who became stunted by the shock. Then he quickly took his chance by burning it to death. The battle soon became one sided until there were no more daedra in the city. The guards let out a roar of victory after their triumphant effort as they felt the adrenaline rushing in their vein. They wasted no time to get into the chapel of Akatosh where some of the residents holed up for safety.

Savlian was the first to enter the chapel and everyone inside stood up in shock and relief when they saw him with the defenders. With Maximus walking beside him, he spoke to the crowd," People of Kvatch, the gate to Oblivion is destroyed! No more shall the daedra harm our city for here is the man who bravely went inside the gate and brought it down with his might. All hail the Hero of Kvatch!"

Every one cheered so loud and so long, the chapel wall trembled by their voice. For Maximus and the gladiators, it's been a long time since he received a similar appreciation. He still remembered how the spectators chanted his name over and over in the Colosseum after Commodus chose to spare his life after they beat the Legionnaires of Scipio Africanus. At the time, they were no longer slaves, but gladiators and proud warriors. The people started to come closer to Maximus to give their thanks. He could only reply their hug and handshake while smiling the whole time because the whole situation was overwhelming. After a while, the commotion began to die down and he walked down to Martin who had been standing next to the altar for the whole time.

"It seems you are a hero now, it must have been amazing out there, taking down the gate. I can not thank you enough, you save our lives. You must be sent by the divines." Martin said to Maximus.

"Thank you, now are you agree to come with us. The guards will escort the people to the safety of the encampment down there." Maximus said to him, putting his hands on his waist.

"I have no reason to refuse you after what you did. I am ready when you are." Martin answered.

They headed to the door for a few steps before Savlian came running to them.

"Maximus, I know I have no right to ask you this, but we need your help once again." He pleaded to Maximus.

"What's going on? More daedra attacks? Another gate opens?"

"No, it's not that. We need to take back the castle, there's still a few daedra in there and the count is trapped inside. Maybe you can tell your friend to come with us with you mind."

"No, I don't mind. I always finish my job no matter what. Just wait a moment." Maximus said, backing away from the captain.

He came to Juba who were helping the refugees out of the city. Calling his name, he addressed his friend," Juba, I need you to do me a favor. Captain Savlian needs me to help him take back their castle and save the count. Can you take care of Martin, the priest, to the camp and wait for me?"

Juba chuckled and nodded. "Of course, my friend. Is there anything else?"

"No, nothing more." Maximus then walked towards Martin, "Brother Martin, I need you to trust me. I need to do something else, so I want you to come with my partner right there to the camp. I'll be right back as soon as I can, alright?"

Martin simply groaned and nodded. "Fine, but please be quick about it. The faster I'm out of this city, the better for me. Or I'll have more nightmares than I already have."

After they parted away, Maximus called Hagen and Cicero to come with him. They shortly joined Savlian and his men, what's left of them, in front of the castle gate.

"Are you ready now? I don't want you dead because you can't put your mind where it belongs." Savlian shot at him, being back at his captain routine.

"Sure, what are we waiting for?"

"Well, trying to open the gate apparently is harder than we think. They locked it from the other side. Perhaps you can ask one of my men, Berich Inian. He'll know how to open it from inside."

"Right, Cicero come with me. Hagen stay with the captain and meet us inside the castle."

They ran back to the chapel and when the doors opened, a soldier came to him.

"What happened, Hero? Is everything okay?" He asked, looking worried.

Maximus sighed and told him the situation. "We need to enter the castle, but the gate won't open. Savlian told me you can help us about it."

"He's absolutely right. When they were attacked, the count gave me the key and told me to lock down the whole complex. The only way to open it is from the chapel undercroft. Come with me." He waved his hand and walked towards the underground level.

Maximus followed him downstairs, he knew this count must be very important for the people. Losing such a leader in times like this would be very devastating. They need someone who can help them rebuilt, someone to look up to. The sound of the door being opened interrupted his train of thought. The undercroft was dark as usual, but they were not alone. The group was greeted by a bunch of ghosts, haunting the place to guard it from anyone who dare to disturb their slumber. Cicero opened the attack with his sparking spell and the ghost shrieking in pain. Maximus and Berich quickly joined the fray, luckily they brought a small silver dagger, enough to wound the ghosts.

When they were out of the undercroft, they finally reach the area with the gate lock. Behind the bars were the soldiers of Kvatch, and behind the other bars that were between them and the castle were the host of scamps.

Maximus shouted to the soldiers with sword unsheathed, "We're here! Savlian, we're here!"

The said man heard his call, "Ah, what took you so long?"

"Maybe you can tell your ancestors down there to learn who are the good guys when they see it."

"Never mind, quick, open the gate, let's end those monster behind you."

Maximus nodded to Berich who inserted the key to the gate. It didn't only open the one in front of the soldiers, but also the one with the daedra. The men soon found themselves in a fierce combat to clear their path. After those daedra were dead, the reunited troops, marched to the castle. Savlian pushed the gate only to find the entire room was a mess. Tables and chairs were either broken or burned. The silverwares were all over the place. Here and there, the corpse of the castle residents lied with wound by from the claws or fire.

Savlien ordered his men, "You, you, and you, stand guard right here. Maximus, can you go to the count's quarter in the back? Find him and get him back here. Don't come back without him, alright?"

Maximus nodded between his breath, the battle really tired him after venturing to the Oblivion gate. He turned to his Nord companion, "Hagen, go to the back, find the count, and bring him here. I need to breath for a moment if you don't mind."

"Not at all, friend." Then he said to a guard next to him, "You there, would you come with me to help me retrieve the count? I could use extra set of eyes and hands."

The soldier simply nodded to him. Then they ran down the corridor, slaying more daedra they encountered. Finally they reached the last room, the count's quarter. Hagen was about to call his name when he saw the man lied down in the pool of his own blood. They were too late, the count was dead.

"Is he… is he dead?" asked the soldier.

"Aye, I'm afraid yes."

"But what should we do? We can't go back to the captain with nothing."

"Of course we can't. I'll take his signet ring, your captain will know what that means."

Then Hagen bent down to take the ring from the unfortunate man. He didn't know the man personally, but he grieved that city has to lost its leader, perhaps the entire family died inside this castle. He whispered a prayer for the count, wishing the gods to take his soul to Sovngarde. After that, they walked back to the throne room.

When Savlian saw the two men walked casually, he asked with a bit of frustration, "Where is the count? Didn't I tell you not to come back without him?"

To answer his question, Hagen did nothing but handed him the signet ring that was stained with blood.

Savlien's face turned from anger to desperation, feeling defeated. "No, we're too late. He's dead. It's all over. This is all my fault. If only we…"

Maximus cut him quickly, "Don't blame yourself with his death. There's no way you know if he's still alive. He could be killed when you were trapped outside the city. If you must blame someone, blame the one who opened the gate in the first place."

Savlian look at him for a moment when he took the ring from Hagen's hand, "Yes, I guess you are right." Then he addressed his men, "Everyone out! We're done here. Go back to the camp where our people are. Take a rest, you all deserved it. Thank you for your service."

He turned to Maximus as he took off his cuirass, "Take this with you."

"Wait, why are you giving this to me?"

"This is yours now. I'm tired of fighting. I will still be on guard here, but I can't watch that cuirass for some time. I need a moment alone. I believe we will rebuild this city. She has been attacked and rebuilt for centuries. This will be no different. And don't worry, I'll keep this ring until they elect the new count. Thank you, for everything."

Maximus looked him with a found sense of honor, "You're welcome. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to meet someone. Until next time, Savlian. May Talos guide you."

* * *

When they reached the camp, he saw Martin sitting in front of one of the tent, healing an elderly woman, with Juba sitting down on the grass.

"Maximus, you're back! Is everything alright?" Juba asked him.

"We managed to secure he castle, but the count didn't make it. Now shall we go to the Weynon Priory?"

"Yes, how about you Brother Martin?"

Martin stood up and saw the soldiers in front of him, he could feel the hope emanating from them when had none for himself.

"You already proved me with your deeds that you were sent by the gods to save us. Because of you, our people have hope once again. Following you to the priory, as you said, is the least I can do to repay you. You keep your promise this far by saving the city, now I can be sure to trust your words. Please, lead on." Martin spoke to all of them, but particularly to Maximus.

Maximus looked to Cicero, "Do we have everything we need for the journey? The priory is quite far from here."

"I believe so, Maximus. I've restocked the potions and some foods. I guess it's only enough for two days max. But again, the people here don't have many things to sell after what happened." Cicero explained the situation with a rucksack in his back.

"That's okay, we can manage with what we have. Maybe you can share the load to all of us here?" Maximus looked to everyone.

Cicero started to move some of his inventory to the others' rucksack and they put some of them in their pouch. After everything was all set, the group of five men began the journey out of Kvatch, back to Weynon Priory.

 **So that's chapter 6. Sorry, I said this chapter would take place during the journey back to Weynon Priory and to Cloud Ruler Temple. I'll put all that stuff in the next one, I promise you. As usual, send me a lot of reviews!**

 **Until next time,**

 **haljordan123**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Elder Scrolls and Gladiator. They belong to their respective owners.**

Chapter 7: Attacked!

The sun just started to rise when the group led Martin to his hideout in the priory. No danger approached them so far, except a small group of bandits and 2 wolf attacks. With a party of 3 fighters and 2 mages, they were nothing than gnats trying to annoy a troll. When it was noon, they stopped for a quick lunch, just outside Skingrad. They decided not to enter the town considering the downfall of the Oblivion gate in Kvatch would spread across the province along with the news about the hero, or heroes, of Kvatch. That kind of thing would surely attract unwanted attention to them, and with that, the possibility of danger, Martin could be attacked and the mission would be a failure.

After gulping a bottle of wine, everyone was quite relax and just enjoying themselves, sitting on a grassy plain, beneath a tree, so Martin saw this as the opportunity to get to know them a little more.

"So tell me again, you said the emperor told you to find me. How did you met? Are you some sort of a messenger or bodyguard?" He asked Maximus who was chewing some nuts.

"Yes, Maximus, you've been missing from the guild for some time. We all thought you were dead in a mission or something. What happened to you?" Hagen spoke while resting on his right hand.

Maximus inhaled a deep breath, knowing this would be quite a story, and after clearing his throat, he finally began.

"Some of you know that I was a member of Fighters Guild. My boss, Mordryn Oreyn, gave me a mission to escort a group of travelling merchant from Morrowind to Imperial City. So we went from our base in Chorrol down the road to the City. In the middle og the road a group of bandits ambushed and demanded us to hand them our possessions. Of course I refused, and a battle ensued. Then came some legion guard to arrest them, but they mistook me as one of the bandits, so they took me to the Imperial City jail."

"Huh, I knew those guys are good for nothing. Making a mistake like that is most unforgivable, and they call themselves Imperial Legion." Hagen spat at the thought of the soldiers.

"But they did a good service under the emperor's reign. Throughout the history, the legion is known to be the best army in Tamriel, they are the ensemble of the best fighter from each races of Tamriel." Cicero cut in to explain.

"And exactly do you know about this?" Juba asked him with curiosity.

"Well, I read many books during my study in Arcane University. When I was tired reading spell books, I kill some time by reading history books." Said Cicero while reaching his hand to his bag.

"See, I even have some for the road." He showed them The History of Queen Barenziah.

"You study at the Arcane? What rank do you have? Who is the archmage now?" Martin asked him, shifting his sitting position by his explanation.

"I'm just an Apprentice now. The path is still long for me. And the archmage now is Hannibal Traven. Why do you ask, Your Highness?"

"I have a history with the university, in fact, at some point I went to study there just like you. And Traven was a friend of mine. He helped me a lot with the lesson. And please don't Your Highness me. I'm no emperor yet." He finished explaining.

Cicero just felt shocked and admired him because he could relate to this would-be emperor. They were orphans and had an interest in magic. He even get to travel with him and guard him. Finally he had something to be bragged on when he returned, if he returned.

"So, I was in prison when the emperor came down to my cell, which apparently was a part of the escape route. He told me he and his sons were attacked by assassins and I must accompany him for a while. Then when we reached a dead end, the assassins ambushed us and killed him. But not before he gave me the Amulet of Kings and told me to go to Jauffre in Weynon Priory and found you. So I met Jauffre and delivered the amulet, then he pointed me to Kvatch to find you. Cicero here met me when I was trying to get out of Imperial City. The rest you already know." Maximux continued and finished his story at last.

"That's an interesting story for sure. You were a member of a well-known guild, then you were criminal, then you became messenger, and now you are a hero. How the table has turned for you. But tell me again, have you known each other for so long, because it seems you have." Martin questioned him again, looking at his saviors.

Maximus was unsure how to answer this question. He didn't think Martin would believe him if he told him the truth. But Stendarr must had mercy on him, because Juba saved him and gave Martin the answer he wanted.

"This may sound crazy for you, but we are not from this world. We came from another world, and in that world, Maximus was a general who led his troops to many victories. Then he was betrayed by the new emperor and became a slave just like us, except Cicero. We were forced to fight in an arena as gladiators, as they called us. With his prowess in battle, we managed to win the battle together. People started to like us, but not the emperor. In the end, Maximus fought the emperor, but they both died from their wounds." He tried to explain to Martin who looked shocked by his story.

Martin never heard about possibility of the existence of another world. The legend always said that the only mortal realm created by the Aedra was Mundus. But this people before him claimed they didn't come from Mundus, but another world entirely. Was the legend wrong? Did the Aedra create something outside Mundus that was unknown until know?

"You're right, Juba. Had not I seen you in battle, I would say you are Sheogorath's follower. But let's just say it's true, how could you possibly come to Nirn, this world?"

Maximus finally spoke to tell the rest of the story, "When we enjoyed our peaceful death in Elysium, the afterlife in our world, the god of death and underworld came to tell me that someone or something informed his brethren about the peril in this world and that they need a champion to save this world. So they chose me, then I brought my family and friends with me to assist me with whatever the mission was. We arrived 5 years ago, and at the time we did not know what we had to do, until this happened."

Martin sat in silence to take all that in. Here in front of him, there was a legendary here from a foreign land.

"The person who met your gods, what does he look like?" He asked Maximus.

"I never met this one personally, but Pluto, my god of underworld said he has two heads, one of the dragon and one of the man. Wait a minute, dragon…"

Martin cried out, "By the Nine! It's Akatosh! He met your gods to ask for help. I bet you've ever seen a picture of him, right? Now I believe the gods have plan in this crisis. He sent _you_ to save us! I lost my faith in the Divines back at Kvatch, but now everything is clear. This is your destiny, Maximus."

"I don't know about saving the world part, but I'm just here to make sure you get back your throne and restore Tamriel." Maximus just waved his hand, feeling embarrassed by the comment.

"Maybe you're right. I'm still not sure what to do if I become the emperor, I'm not that type of person."

"No need to worry about that, Martin. I'm sure you will get the idea along the way." Hagen patted his back to give him support.

"Ah, I hope you're right. Speaking of family, where are your family, Maximus? You said you brought them here, right?" Martin asked Maximus.

"You just remind me, I haven't seen them quite a while." He sighed, definitely feeling worry about them.

Juba smiled at him, "Relax, Maximus. After you went missing, we visited your home in Bravil to tell them the news. Yes, they're worried, especially Claudia. But worry not, Hagen decided to take care of your family. He even help Octavius with the training."

Hagen chuckled at Juba's comment. "Yes, your son learned so fast and things were alright before we came to Kvatch. But it's nothing, I barely do nothing because Octavius did a very good job at protecting his mother."

"You are the most humble person I've ever known, Hagen. Thank you, my friend." Maximus slapped Hagen's shoulder with a big smile on his face.

"Well, I think we rested enough. Why don't we continue walking? We don't want bandits to raid all our stuff, do we? Martin asked with a jest, and after packing their belongings, they walked down the road again.

* * *

The sun finally started to sink when the group came near Weynon Priory. The whole group could see the priory building stood out among the trees, bathed in the yellowish sunlight. Maximus felt a little sense of relief that after Martin was brought to safety here in the priory, his service would be over and he could go back to his family and maybe to the guild after dealing with Oreyn, of course. And he was sure the others felt the same way, Juba and Hagen were likely return with him to the guild and Cicero would head back to Imperial City to his duties as a mage apprentice.

But his train of thought was halted when they saw someone broke through the bush and ran towards person was a Dunmer, to be more specific, he was the herder Maximus met when he arrived first to the priory, and he was panting heavily.

"Help! You must help, please! They're killing everyone in the priory!" He shouted between his breath.

Maximus came forward from the group after dismounted from his horse. He ordered the others to stand back while he talked to the herder, he remembered his name was Eronor.

"Calm down, easy. One at a time, please. Who are you running from?" He asked as he tried to understand the situation.

"I don't know who they are. They came a while back ago, dressed like ordinary travelers. Prior Maborel greeted them at the front gate, but then red armors came out of nowhere and they struck down the poor man before he could do anything. And then they saw me, so I run. I think they're behind me." Eronor explained to Maximus.

Maximus then told him to stay behind while he and the others walked silently, but at a quite fast pace. When they were in the yard, two red-armored assassins was seen patrolling near the well. They weren't seen yet, so Maximus told Cicero to took the assassins out with his bow. The mage pulled the strings and aimed carefully for the target. He released the arrow and it hit the assassin between his eyes, killing him instantly. The sound of his buddy hit the ground alerted the other assassin who turned to where the group was. They wasted no time and rushed to attack him. Out of everyone's expectation, Martin didn't keep hiding, but he helped them by casting sparks from his fingertips, each one hit their target. The assassin tried his best to avoid being hit by Martin's spell, only to be welcomed by swords and hammer. Martin quickly move the side and hit him with paralysis spell which made the assassin fell down, then Juba finally made a finishing move by pushing his dagger to his heart.

"Let's go to the building! Jauffre might be in trouble." Maximus said as he led Martin and his companions to the door.

They went upstairs to see Jauffre cornered by three assassins. He was wielding a curved sword, similar to the Blades in the Imperial Prison. Hagen yelled as he charged forward to one of the assassin. He struck his opponent with his warhammer which staggered him, giving him the chance to kill him with the second strike. Cicero casted a firebolt to another one. The assassin screamed in agony which quickly silenced by Martin with his shock spell. Maximus and Juba worked in tandem, swinging their swords until the assassin fell down with a thud to the floor.

"Thank the Divines, you arrived just in time. We were outnumbered and if you didn't show up, it'll be the end of us. Who are these people by the way?" Jauffre exclaimed after sheathing his sword.

"They are my old friend, Jauffre. We meet them in Kvatch. We're here with Martin as you requested." Maximus told the old Blade.

"Good, I'm relieved to see him alive and well. But we have no time, come quickly. I think I know what they're after. Follow me!"

Jauffre and the group came out from the main building and headed to the chapel. The door was opened with force and the inside was nothing but a mess. He went to the table over there and tried to look for something.

"It's gone! The amulet is gone! They must have took it while their friends kept us busy." He said with so much frustration in his voice.

Then suddenly a loud neigh was heard from the stable. The group quickly went out of the chapel to see an assassin mounted a horse.

"Stop him at all cost! Don't let him run away!" Jauffre yelled to the group. Cicero quickly grab his bow and shot the assassin. The arrow missed its target as the horse was galloping in the night to nowhere. They ran to pursue him, but the horse was too fast and the assassin was gone.

"What do we do now?" Juba asked to everyone there, hoping an answer from anyone.

"Nothing, it's all over. The enemy has beat us at every turn. We lost." Jauffre put his head down in defeat.

"Not exactly, Jauffre. We have Martin here, as long as he lives, there is still hope, right?" asked Maximus.

"Hmm, I think you're right. If we can get the amulet back, we can relight the dragonfire and restore the Empire. But we can't remain here, the priory has been compromised. We must move Martin to the safe place." Jauffre explained his plan.

"And where is this safe place you're talking about? If they can find your hideout here, I don't think there's somewhere safe anymore." Hagen asked him, there's a slight hurry in his tone.

"Cloud Ruler Temple, the hidden fortress of the Blades. It's located in the north of Bruma. The place is well-fortified, a handful of Blades can defend it against an army." He stopped for a second before addressing Maximus.

"I know you've been done your part by bringing Martin safely and I heard what happen in Kvatch. But will you and your friends help me escorting the Emperor to Cloud Ruler? I don't have many people left, Prior Maborel is dead and I told Brother Piner to dispose the bodies and take anything valuable from the priory." Jauffre finished with a sigh.

Maximus was thinking hard and deep about the situation. He knew his plan to return home was no longer an option. Now his involvement in this crisis was too deep and the assassins now knew their faces, the ones who guard the bastard son of the late emperor.

He turned to Juba, Hagen, Cicero, and finally to Martin before turned back to Jauffre.

"I've decided. Let's bring Martin to your fortress."

 **Thank you for reading this chapter. I'm always happy to see those little bars go up n my stat. Don't forget to give me your reviews and requests.**

 **Until next time, haljordan123 signing out.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Elder Scrolls and Gladiator. They belong to their respective owners.**

Chapter 8: Cloud Ruler Temple

Maximus was out from the guild hall of Fighters Guild with several guild member. Earlier that night Jauffre and the group moved out from the priory. He told them that he had a business with the guild. He brought Juba with him and told Jauffre to meet him outside Bruma. The two warriors entered the building to meet Mordryn Oreyn who scolded Maximus with a barrage of questions and rantings about his disappearance, mostly the second one. After he calmed down, Maximus began to ask him a favour after apologizing first. He asked Oreyn to send some members to go to his house in Bravil and pick up his family, then bring them to Bruma where he will meet them himself. Until then, those fighters were in charge to protect his family no matter what. Mordryn let out a laugh when he heard that Maximus was the Hero of Kvatch people kept talking about, but Juba backed Maximus' story with his testimony. Finally after quite some time, he agreed to send some men to look after Maximus' house because his former apprentice worried of his precious little family.

After getting what he wanted, Maximus and Juba were down the road to meet the party. As planned, Jauffre and the party were waiting for them outside Bruma and once they're whole again, the trip to Cloud Ruler Temple was resumed. Along the way, Hagen and Cicero asked Maximus about his plan with Mordryn, which he explained as brief as possible. About 15 minutes after, they arrived in front of the gate. Jauffre came closer to the gate and knock it thrice with a loud bang. A shout was heard from the top of the wall, "The grandmaster at the gates!" Just a minute or so, it was opened from the inside and a Redguard Blade came out to meet them, he was dressed with the complete gear from head to toe.

"Grandmaster Jauffre, welcome back. We didn't know you would give us a visit." The Blade said, his voice is calm, his stature spoke professionalism.

Jauffre only nodded to him, "I'm sorry for coming so sudden, but the situation is dire. Our priory down south was attacked by assassins and we have no choice but to move here."

The Blade was about to response when he look at Martin who stood beside Jauffre. Maximus saw him recognize the priest, perhaps as the Blades, they all knew about this secret, or maybe Martin just looked so similar to his birth father whose face was on every gold coin in Tamriel.

"G-Grandmaster, is this…"

"Yes, Cyrus, this is the heir of Uriel Septim. These men had a success in retrieving him from Kvatch when the city was attacked." Jauffre explained to his subordinate.

"Ah, Your Highness, please forgive me for not recognizing you so soon. Welcome to Cloud Ruler Temple. We haven't had a royal visit for quite some time." The Blade whose name is Cyrus quickly saluted him with a stiff bow.

Martin chuckled a little, clearly felt discomfort, "No, the honor is mine. Thank you."

Cyrus then addressed to Jauffre, "Please come in, Sir. The Blades are waiting."

They soon climbed up the stairs to the yard which is quite high from the ground. Maximus saw a few Blades sparring with each other on what seems to be the training ground. But they soon stopped whatever they were doing when they saw their grandmaster came up. They quickly lined themselves on each side of the dais, with Jauffre took center stage. Martin went to his right, Maximus to his left, and the rest of the group distribute themselves at Jauffre's wings.

When they all were in positions, Jauffre spoke up," Blades, dark times are upon us. As you know, the Emperor was slain on our watch. The Empire is in chaos. But there is yet hope."

He stopped and looked at Martin, "This is Martin Septim, the true heir of Uriel Septim, the rightful owner of the Blue Throne, and the emperor of Tamriel!"

Then all Blades raised their swords to the air and shout as one," Hail the Dragonborn! Hail Martin Septim! Hail!"

Martin felt overwhelm by this greeting, how they accept him as their highest leader. For a simple priest raised by a simple farmer, this was beyond his wildest dreams.

Jauffre turned his head to Martin, "Your Highness, the Blades are at your command. You will be safe here until you can take up your throne. A little words if you please."

A lightning strike his heart when he heard Jauffre. As a priest sometimes he spoke in front of the citizens to give them sermons, but this wasn't mere citizens, they were the Blades, the Emperor personal army, the best in Tamriel. Martin looked at Maximus as if he was asking for help, to which Maximus only life his shoulders.

Feeling he had no choice, Martin swallowed some saliva and steeled himself as he raised his hands, "Jauffre. All of you. I know you all expect me to be Emperor. I'll do my best. But this is all new to me. I'm not used to giving speeches other than for sermons. But I wanted you to know that I appreciate your welcome here. I hope I prove myself in the coming days. That's it. Thank you." He finished his speech lamely.

Jauffre then decided to end the short ceremony, "Well, then. Thank you, Martin. We'd all best get back to our duties, eh, Captain?" The Blades soon dispersed back to what they did before Martin's arrival. Some were sparring, some were tending the horses, and others went to the wall to look out for unwelcomed danger. Jauffre headed inside the hall, while Maximus, Cicero, Juba, and Hagen were still outside with Martin.

Martin was the first to speak, "Not much of a speech, was it? Didn't seem to bother them, though."

Maximus smiled and waved his hand in front of him, "Nah, you did good, Martin. You should see my first battle rally, after it was finished, I put the helmet as fast as I could to hide my face."

Juba, Hagen, and Cicero laughed a little to his words, then Martin continued, "The Blades saluting me and hailing me as Martin Septim. Listen, I don't mean to sound ungrateful. I know I would be dead by now if it weren't for you. Thank you. But everyone expects me to suddenly know what to do. How to behave. They want an Emperor to tell them what to do. And I haven't the faintest idea."

"Don't you worry about that, Martin. I'm sure you will get the hang of this sooner enough. When I was on Earth, I had many friends in high places, so I know one or two things about politics. I'll make you ready so they don't play you like you are an amateur." Maximus put his hand on Martin's shoulder to calm him down.

Juba looked at Maximus with his hands on his waist," Well, it must be wait for while until we get the amulet back. Without it, the Elder Council will never accept your claim to the throne."

"Ah, yes, of course, the Amulet of Kings. So we…I can take it to the Temple of the One and light the Dragonfires and stop the Oblivion invasion." Martin continued.

Cicero saw him and nodded, like he was starstruck, "You are a good man, Martin, and I'm sure you will be a great emperor."

Martin tried hard not to rolled his eyes, "The Emperor, that's an idea that will take some getting used to. In any case, we need the amulet first. Maybe Jauffre will know where to start."

Everyone nodded in agreement and entered the door to the hall. Inside, they were welcomed by a massive fireplace. The walls were decorated by many swords, similar that the Blades wielded.

Hagen let out a loud groan when he saw the interior, "Aaahhh, finally, I could have some warmth after travelling in these bleak mountain side." He said and sit down on one of the benches.

Jauffre called Martin to bring him to his quarters and Maximus and the others took a rare chance to have a little rest. During that time, Maximus couldn't take his eyes off the walls within the hall with the swords on them. The he heard someone's voice next to him.

"Amazing, isn't it?" It was a Breton Blade, standing next to him before sitting down beside him.

"Oh, where's my manner? I'm Captain Steffan, I'm in charge of the Temple while Jauffre's gone. Nice to meet you. Your friends told me you dived into Oblivion Gates to close it. Not every day you get a chance to meet the Hero of Kvatch, eh?" He asked Maximus.

Maximus wondered how fast the news spread, everywhere people seemed to know about the doom-driven hero, even high in the fortress that should be top secret.

"Yes, that's me, thanks, Captain Steffan. So, what's with sword, anyway?" He asked the captain while looking up.

"The Blades has existed for centuries and during that time, we have so many brothers and sisters. When a Blade died, his/her sword will be put up there, so they will be remembered for eternity. But after some times, the walls became too full to contain new swords, so instead of making a new one for a fresh recruit, we take one down from the walls and give it to the new Blade, of course the names of the previous owners are engraved in the swords." Steffan explained to Maximus.

"So the number of the swords is always constant?" Maximus asked.

"Exactly," answered Steffan. Then he looked across the room and saw Hagen was talking to two female Blades at the table while eating some meat.

"Well, well, well, looks like you have a cassanova among your ranks. Hehehe. I won't blame him. Jena and Caroline have always been targets of seduction among us here." Steffan said with a huge grin on his face.

"Heh, I know what you mean. When I was among my brethren, the female ones are like flowers in the desert, every men fight their way to get close. How about you?" Maximus asking Steffan who laughed.

"I tried many times, but they seem to like a Nord better than a Breton like me. You know, a Breton isn't known by his brawn, but by his magic skill, something that's lacking here."

Maximus drank his last drop of wine, "Well, you can put your mind in peace when you know I have a mage of my own here."

* * *

The night at Cloud Ruler Temple was different with the fact they had a VIP guest in their hall. All the Blades was eating in the dining hall when Martin and Jauffre entered the room. Everyone stopped their eating and stood up at once. Martin raised his hand to allow them to sit back and enjoy their meal. Jauffre had taught him how to communicate with them the afternoon before. An hour later, he finished his dinner and the room was almost empty, except for him, Jauffre, Maximus, Juba, and Hagen who move to his table.

Jauffre opened the conversation, "As you all know, we have to take back the Amulet of Kings before we can begin to proceed with the plan to take Martin to the Elder Council in Imperial City. This morning, one of my men received a letter brought by our owl messenger. It says that our informant is tracking the group that assassinate the Emperor in Imperial City. We should take this as our clue to find the amulet."

Maximus was listening to the plan carefully. Beside a fighter, he was an excellent strategist after many battles he fought on Earth.

"So. you want us to go there and meet this informant, right?" He asked Jauffre.

"Right, but not all of you. It would bring too much attention. Just bring one or two at maximum. This mission must be done in secrecy. Since Martin and the Blades here are out of question, one of you four must do this. Maximus, you are the one who know them most as you told me, so who do you recommend?" Jauffre asked back.

Maximus took a second to think. "If I may what is the name of your informant?"

"His name is Baurus, a Redguard, the youngest Blade we ever had."

Maximus was surprised when he heard the name. It was the same Blade that he met during the escape from the prison.

"Wait a minute. Baurus? I met him when the Emperor escaped through my cell."

"Really, know? Somehow the gods plays a strange fate in our lives. Then you can't go as well. We don't know if the guards are still chasing you on top of the fact that your name and face are in the Black Horse Courier all over Cyrodiil. So we are down to three, which one of you should go?" Jauffre threw the same question.

Hagen shook his head at the question. "You know I'm not good with stealth, Maximus. If you need someone to charge in an open battle, then I'm your man. But for this one, I must pass." He lifted his hand as a sign of resignation.

Juba and Cicero shot a look at each other for it's now between them to go and investigate. Maximus then look at Cicero, "So Cicero, will you go?"

"I think I should go. I think I have a chance to move quietly and I know how to sweet talk if I need to. Our time in the university shapes us to be negotiators among the scholars and lecturers." Cicero said with a certainty.

Well, I think I should go as well. If the things goes south, we must be prepared. No offence, Cicero, I'll let you use your knowledge, but when I'm afraid we can't risk to use magic if we have to do close-range fighting. I'm in." Juba retorted.

Jauffre took a deep breath before closing the meeting. "I guess all is settled. Martin, what do you say about this?"

Martin nodded and shrugged, "I have reason to disagree, Jauffre. I believe this men really know that they do and they don't disappoint so far. So I agree with them."

"Good, then I think we should call it a day and take a rest. I want you two to prepare yourselves because you will be going tomorrow morning. And before I forget, Maximus, you have showed a fine success in saving the Emperor. You helped us this far, even though you don't have to. So now I'm giving you an offer to be one of us, a Blade Brother. What say you?" Jauffre addressed Maximus.

He thought for a minute whether he must take this offer. He was already a member of Fighters Guild which demanded a full commitment. But it's an honor to be offered as a Blade, only the best of the best could have the chance. And as one, he should have a better chance to protect Martin, the future emperor of Tamriel, something he failed to do with Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

After a long thought, he began to speak, "I will gladly to take the honor, Jauffre, if my friends have the same offer. I can't close the Oblivion Gate at Kvatch without their help."

Now it's Jauffre's time to think, perhaps it's good thing to have more recruits at once, especially at the times like this.

"Alright, then. I'm asking you all to be Blades to help us get through this crisis. Do you accept?"

Then Maximus spoke for them all, "We do."

 **That's a wrap for this chapter. I finally start to do pairing for this fic. And it's not a permanent, I will changer the pairings with specific mission. I also can't stop to think how they can put so many swords up there. So I come up with a possible scenario. Don't forget to throw me your reviews, guys.**

 **Until next time, haljordan123 signing out.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Elder Scrolls and Gladiator. They belong to their respective owners.**

Chapter 9: In the Company of the Warriors

The next morning, Cloud Ruler Temple was filled by activities. Juba and Cicero were preparing to depart to Imperial City, Jauffre had the Blades to think for, Hagen was standing in front of Martin's quarter, while Maximus was somewhere else. When Martin came out of his room, he went to the window, opened it, and was greeted by the breeze of Jerall Mountain's cold wind. It was indeed the highest place he ever gone in his life, most of his times were spent in the grasslands and forest area, not the mountains. Then Maximus came from his behind, "Good morning, Martin, Your Highness. How was your sleep last night?"

Martin turned around to see the man who saved his life back in Kvatch. "It was okay. The image of the burning city was back to haunt my dreams. I could hear the people screaming in terror." He looked sternly at Maximus's eyes, somehow he looked like he understood what he experienced.

"Ah, forget it. The point is I'm here, alive and talking to you, is that right?" Martin stated as he waved his hand. "So, where is Cicero and Juba? They must be preparing for their hourney, I reckon." He continued.

"They are in the hall, taking some food for the road. You know it's almost four-day journey to Imperial City. Can't investigate anything with empty stomach." Maximus told him as the two laughed.

They walked their way to the temple hall where Jauffre watched over Juba and Cicero. He stood up from his chair the moment he saw Martin entered the room.

"Martin, you are awake. You come at the right time, they are just about to leave. I think you may want to see them off." Jauffre said with a smile.

Martin nodded. "Yes, Jauffre. We never know what will happen to them. Maybe I could give them some blessing as well because, well, I was a priest."

"I think that would be pleasant. This way, please." Jauffre led him to a table with Cicero and Juba who put some bread and potato in the knapsack.

Martin folded his hand, "So you're leaving today? Be careful, if the rumor is true, then you will encounter some resistance. I just hope the Nine guide your path and protect you all the time."

Cicero and Juba bowed their head in respect and gratitude. Then when they began to walk to the door, Maximus gave them a little advice. He told them to tell Baurus that they are Maximus' friends so that the Blade won't give them a hard time. After what happened to Uriel Septim, Baurus seemed to trust Maximus enough. The Redguard and the Imperial went towards the main gate until they become a tiny dot for the Blades who watched them from high above the wall.

After five hours, at 12 o'clock, at noon, Cloud Ruler Temple was back to the usual day with Blades sparing with each other and some other were on sentry duty. Martin was reading some books in the library, mainly the ones about Empire history and the Divines. He thought that as a future emperor, he should know about the background of the Empire, the emperors and empress of old, the conflicts, and the relationship with other provinces. He determined not to repeat the mistakes of his predecessors by maintaining good and healthy relationship with other regions of Tamriel. He put down the book he was reading before and took a sip of wine. Before him, there was three stacks of books. It seemed he had read for a quite long time.

Then Maximus and Hagen entered the hall, "Martin, it's nice to see you here. Can I talk to you for a moment, please?" Maximus shouted from across the room with his booming voice.

"Yes, my friend. Is there something I can help you with? Please have a seat." Martin said.

The two sat down before Maximus opened his mouth. "As you know I send my fellow fighters to fetch my family and place them in Bruma. Now I am thinking to grab them and bring them here, so we can ensure their safety easier with all the Blades here. So I'll be leaving the temple in a moment, and meanwhile…" He paused for a second or two and look at Martin who had been listening to his words.

"Meanwhile, I saw that you have some skill with magic. But if the situation go south in the future, I think it would be the best if you can defend yourself with a blade, just in case the magic fails you, no offense." Maximus stated his opinion.

Martin leaned back to his chair, "None taken. So what's the plan?"

Hagen began to speak, "Maximus and I decided while he goes after his family, I will train you how to fight with a sword or whatever weapon of your choice. What do you think? Are you up for the challenge?" He declared with a smile.

Martin was thinking for a moment before he decided. He never wielded a sword in his life, he thought it was too brutish and magic was a finer technique. But since he would be the emperor, there's nothing wrong of doing something different for a change.

"I don't think I have a choice in this. You will still make me learn to swing a sword even if I say no, right?" Martin asked them which they replied with two yeses.

Martin took a deep breath, "Then when do we start, General?"

* * *

Maximus was halfway walking to Bruma when it's 13.00. He wore a set of farmer cloths, courtesy of Jauffre. The old Blade thought it wouldn't be wise to wander around in full Blades armor or even Fighters Guild apparel in this time of crisis. The assassins could be hiding among the residents of Bruma and they would surely attack Maximus if they saw him in all his glory as the Hero of Kvatch. His mind was filled with hope and joy to see Claudia and Octavius again after almost a month. The gate of Bruma was seen from the hillside where he was. The guards opened the gate after he said that he was a farmer who came home from collecting the woods. The streets of Bruma was built with the strong Nordic influence which was not surprising judging its proximity to Skyrim. He strolled down to the second level of the city where people made their shops. He walked towards Fighters Guild Bruma branch, opening the door, he saw two Fighters Guild members stood guard by the door. He greeted them with the code only Fighter Guild members could understand and showed them his badge, then they let him inside. The hall was made of wood like many other houses in the area. The two fighters guided him to the barrack where a woman was sitting by the bed, repairing some clothes. His heart jumped when she ran towards his embrace.

"Maximus, it's so good to see you again. I thought you were dead after so long. We're so worried." Claudia cried with happiness and relief. At the time, Octavius came from the basement to see what happened above. He walked to his father and hugged him tightly.

"I thought I would lose you again. That's when these guys came from Chorrol. Then I knew you survived, I should have known you are just too stubborn to die, Dad." Octavius and Maximus laughed while Claudia watched him with pride.

After a moment, Maximus remembered his initial plan and told them to get out of the city. Octavius brought some weapons with him and gave his mother a steel dagger which she hope she wouldn't have to use it. In order to avoid the crowd, they split into two groups. Maximus, Claudia and a fighter went to the northern gate while Octavius and another fighter went to the eastern gate. After nerve-racking 20 minutes or so, they were regrouped just north of Bruma and then resumed the trip to Cloud Ruler Temple. Along the way there, Maximus was telling them what happened to him in the last month. Claudia and Octavius were dumbstruck when they learned that their husband and father was in fact the Hero of Kvatch they keep hearing from the news. The feeling of awe and proud overwhelmed them about how Maximus was given order by the Emperor Uriel Septim himself to shut the gates of Oblivion, which he did bravely in order to save Kvatch from the wrath of Daedra. For Octavius, his father's story didn't deter him at all, in fact it just strengthen his determination to become a great fight like his father, or at least to fight side by side with him to give Martin a smooth way to his rightful throne that waited him in Imperial City.

* * *

Martin was holding an iron shortsword, facing a monster in front of him called Hagen. The huge Nord was wielding an iron greatsword that suited him very well. He stroked Martin lightly, while Martin parried the strike by holding the sword horizontally like Hagen told him earlier. A couple more parrying and Martin made his first attack to Hagen's abdomen which was deflected easily by him. The Blades came by to watch their ultimate leader learned to fight with the weapon that was always with them, including Jauffre who was watching from his balcony. Finally Martin lunged forward to Hagen, but unfortunately, he lost his footing and began to tumble. Hagen quickly put his sword to his neck, ending the practice session.

"And you're dead, Martin. I think you must practice your footwork more, Your Majesty. Our enemy won't be so merciful like I am." He said while helping Martin stand up.

"By the way, you learn quite fast with parrying and striking. Tomorrow I think we are going to polish your combat technique until you develop your own style. Sounds good?" He stated while hugging Martin who was panting like a horse who ran from Imperial City to Bruma.

"I could do that… after I got… some breath..."Martin answered his mentor. That brought laughter to the Blades around them. Jauffre then stepped down the stairs and addressed the Blades, "Alright, alright, show's over. Back to your duty, boys and girls! Come one!"

After the crowd dispersed, Jauffre let Martin enter the hall when they heard footsteps from the main gate. It was Maximus with a young man and a beautiful woman, who Martin assumed were his family. They went up to the hall towards the fire pit so they could remove the chill from Jerall Mountains. After having warm soup, Claudia and Octavius were finally introduced to Jauffre and Martin. They bowed with a great respect to the Grandmaster of the Blades, and even more so to the would-be emperor of Tamriel. Claudia found herself change into the royal mode when she addressed Martin by using "Your Highness", "Your Majesty", or "Sire", much to Martin discomfort about those titles. And for Octavius, for the next 5 minutes, he was wandering the hall, looking the awesome-looking swords that were hanged on the ceiling. Maximus took the opportunity to tell his boy about the Blades from what Jauffre had told him and that made Octavius want to serve under Martin to protect him, just like his father, but then Maximus reminded him that he just joined the Fighters Guild not too long ago, and that meant he couldn't leave the guild just like that.

After some simple dinner, the commotion eventually died down and everyone went to their bed, leaving Maximus who stared at the ceiling, thinking of his two friends, somewhere out there.

 **This is just a filler that I write before the next part, I just need to describe what happened up there, when Path of Dawn quest is going on. You know, Blades doing Blades stuff plus Martin plus the Hero. I'll see you again on the next chapter, bye for now.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Elder Scrolls and Gladiator. They belong to their respective owners.**

Chapter 10: Tracking the Dawn

The Imperial City was busy like any other day when Juba and Cicero arrived in the evening. In the Market district, shop owners was just finished from their business and get ready to go home. The stalls were emptied and the night guards started their shift. The mage and the fighter quickly strolled through the district until they reached Luther's Broad where their informant was waiting for them. It's a quite big inn compared to another ones in Cyrodiil, the only inn bigger than this one was Tiber Septim Hotel in Talos Plaza where the most wealthy and powerful people in Imperial City resided.

Juba reach the door handle of the inn and came in, Cicero quickly followed. The Redguard assessed the situation, looking for possible escapes should anything went wrong. It looked like there was only one access point, which was the same door where they came from.

He scanned the room and saw several people in there, the bartender, two male Imperials who were chatting at the side of the bar table, a Nord woman who was drinking alone at the table near the entrance, a Redguard at the bar table, and another male Imperial who was reading a book at the corner of the inn. Someone in this room must be their informant, he thought, "The bar is quite busy this evening, don't you think, Cicero?" He asked his travelling companion.

Cicero gave him a silent approval, "If I remember correctly, Jauffre said the informant was a Redguard, and I am only seeing one Redguard in this room, and he bring a curved sword, just like those Blades." He stated the fact.

"Let's not forget he's a Blade as well. We don't want to be at his bad side." Juba said as he came to the bar.

When he was two feet away from him, the man stared to him, "Sit down, don't look at me."

He sat down next to the Redguard, and Cicero sat down next to him. "How do you know you're expecting us? How do you know we're not with the enemy?" Juba asked him with a poker face.

"Our mutual friend sent me a heads-up:

An Imperial and a Redguard will come to meet you tonight.

Wait at the usual place.

-J-

I believe my guess is right."

Juba didn't answer him, but he ordered two drinks for him and Cicero, Tamica wine, for he knew they wouldn't do anything until the commotion died down. After 30 minutes of waiting, the Nord lady and the two Imperials finally left the building, leaving five people in there, including the bartender. Juba decided to open a conversation, "Do you know anything about the assassins? Where-"

"Not now, please. Listen to me, do you see the man behind me, reading a book?" The Redguard asked him without turning his head. Juba tried to see the person he was talking about with his peripheral vision.

"Yes, so what?"

"I will stand up and walk away in a minute. He will follow me. I want you and your buddy to follow him. I want to see what he'll do. Get it?"

Juba gave him a 'yes' and then he talked to Cicero, "I won't bring my sword to this. I only have my dagger for now. I want you to back me up with your magic, if everything goes south." Cicero gave him a nod, while preparing his spell.

The Redguard Blade stood up from his chair and started to walk towards the basement, passing the mysterious book reader. As soon as he passed him, the Imperial closed his book and tucked it beneath his robe. Just as he predicted, the man followed him down, so Juba and Cicero began to walk silently behind him, trying hard not to make a sound as their stepped on the stony floor.

In the dark basement, the incognito mission continued as Juba and Cicero were tailing the target. Having spent a good amount of time in the gladiator training room, Juba had a good vision in the dark, Cicero relied on the Detect Life spell he just learned before going with Maximus that day. Perhaps this was a best time to try it out, he thought. At first the Imperial was just walking innocently while maintaining a safe distance from the Blade. But then his pace became faster and Cicero could sense magicka flux when he casted a spell in his hand. Suddenly a dark red armor appeared from thin air and in his right hand was a Bound sword. Cicero heard about this technique from the conjuration school, but he never had time to think about it.

The Blade quickly turned around when he heard crunching sound from behind. A sword slashing the air, definitely aiming him, but dodged it at the last second. Juba drew his dagger and stabbed the man in his back. The assassin was crying out in pain, then he realized he was facing not one, not two, but three opponents. He roared as he charged Juba with his sword, but Cicero casted a frost spell at his legs, stopping him in his position. The armored conjurer tried to hit Juba by swinging his blade, but Juba was too nimble. He avoided it with ease and stabbed him again in his stomach. The attack brought him down to his knees and the Blade finished him quickly by thrusting his curved blade through his back until it appeared on the other side of his body.

The assassin fell down with a thud and the armor magically disappeared, revealing the previous look, a male in a robe. The Blade sheathed his sword as he looked at Juba and Cicero, "Thanks."

"No problem, Blade. But what was that all about?" Juba asked him.

He let out a sigh, "I've been following the group of assassins who murdered the Emperor. They called themselves Mythic Dawn. A cult of daedra worshipper and this guy was one of them. He had been following me since yesterday."

Cicero look at the dead killer before him with his blood on the basement floor. "So what do we do now? Are we going to leave him down here?"

The Blade shook his head, "Of course not, this inn is the hangout place for the Blades, but that doesn't mean we can leave a dead body to be found later. Search his body for anything suspicious, I'll go back up to see of his friends are looking for him." Then he walked back upstairs to the bar.

Cicero kneeled next to the assassin and pulled a book from his robe. The cover was purple with the symbol of rising sun. He carefully made a fire in his hand and the light shoned upon the book. He opened the first page and read the title, "The Commentaries on Mysterium Xarxes Book 1 by Mankar Camoran". He knew knothing at all about this book, but something told him that it might be useful. So he decided to keep it for a while.

When they were back at the inn, the Blade whose name is Baurus, just like Jauffre told them in Cloud Ruler Temple, told them to go to his room in the second level. There, they discussed about the next step in this investigation.

Cicero, after sat down next to Baurus, handed over the book, "I think you might want to look at this." He said as he laid the book.

Baurus took it and read the pages, "This is just a rambling nonsense to me." He closed the book, then continued, "Look, I may be a Blade, but I'm no scholar. You should take it to someone, an expert, I believe."

"And who might that be? We managed to kill that assassin, but if we don't know what's he reading about, then I afraid we have a roadblock here."

Cicero was thinking as he looked upon the book. If that guy, who was a member of daedric cult read it, then it must be some sort of a guide. One that only an expert on arcane knowledge may understand.

"Um, if I may, I thing I know someone who knows this kind of stuff. Her name is Tar-Meena, she is a scholar in Arcane University. She teaches us once in a while, but not too often, I must say." Cicero suggested his idea.

"Yes, that's right. That reminds me, she also working with the Blades from time to time." Baurus suddenly felt excited. He turned to Cicero, "Knowing you are a mage apprentice there, I think you should bring this book to her. Tell her I send you, she will understand."

Juba was leaning back to his chair, "But what should we do in the meantime?"

"There's nothing we can do but waiting. It's too risky going outside, especially after what we did, they'll be looking after me when they missed their friend. You too, Juba, since you look like a decent fighter." Baurus explained the plan.

"I guessed you're right, Baurus. There's a slight chance they may recognize Cicero, but we should take it. He is known in the University, unlike us. And I reckon we don't have anyone else to send?" Juba asked the senior Blade.

Baurus shook his head, and then he urged Cicero to leave the inn in the dead of night for his chance to escape undetected was higher at the time than during the day.

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Arcane University was looked tall and proud from the afar with the purple fire and battlemages guarding her at all times. Cicero walked pass one of them after showing his student pass, into the lobby. Then he went through the garden and proceed to Mystic Archives. He knocked the door and waited for a moment. An Argonian opened it and greeted him, "Good evening, fellow mage. Ah, if it isn't Cicero, my boy. Long time no see, how have you been?"

"I'm well, Tar-Meena, apologies to meet you in such an uncomfortable time." He said with a slight bow.

"No need to apologize. I'm glad to have a company in this hour. Have a sit, please." They both took a sit near one of the bookshelf.

"Now, what is the urgency? Perhaps you can tell me what were you doing these days? Your classmates have been asking questions about your disappearance." Tar-Meena asked while pouring some tea.

Cicero took a sip, "I'm afraid it's a long story, Ma'am. But there's a more pressing matter. Well, you see, recently I came across this book and I'm curious what this book is all about." He placed the book on top of the table.

Tar-Meena's gills were wide open when she saw the said book before her eyes. "Ah, The Commentaries on Mysterium Xarxes. Written by Mankar Camoran, the leader of Mythic Dawn, the daedric cult who worship Mehrunes Dagon, the Daedric Prince of Destruction, Change, Revolution, Energy, and Ambition. What do you want to know about it?"

"Baurus from the Blades sent me to you, he said you would know of these things." Cicero answered.

"Hmmm, so it's Blades' business, huh? They often ask me as a consultant, but I have no intention to dive deeper than what I should have."

The Argonian took several books from the bookshelf, mainly the ones about daedra. She put them on the table, then she went back to her seat.

"I have to tell you this, Mythic Dawn is unlike any other deadric cults in Tamriel. They are very secretive, very little is known about them, and most of their activities are underground." She advised her apprentice.

"I see, Master Tar-Meena, let's not get our hopes too high. But do you know anything about this Mankar Camoran?"

"Well, he is a very charismatic leader and his teachings are remarkable and revolutionary. Not that I admire him, I'm just stating the facts, you know." She finished explaining, then the two mages started to examine the book.

But after almost an hour and a few more glasses of wine, the words within the book began drifting further and further. It didn't make any sense.

Cicero was pinching his nose out of exhaustion, never before he faced something so cryptic like this mysterious book. He doubted even the brightest apprentice in the university could decipher the message. Then he saw the ornamented letter at the first of the paragraph, he turned the page and found another letter written in the similar style. He flipped the pages real quick and found out that every single letter in the head of the paragraph was stylized. He went back to the first one, and the second, and the third, and so on. Those letters created some sort of a phrase, G-R-E-E-N-E-M-P-E-R-O-R.

He slammed the table with his fists that made Tar-Meena jolted, "That's it!"

"What happened? Do you get anything, Cicero?" Tar-Meena asked with her drowsy eyes.

"Yes, it's absurdly simple and right behind our nose the whole time. We are so idiot, we were too focused at the content. The answer lies in the first letter of each paragraph. Look for yourself."

Tar-Meena looked the letter closely for the any clue, "Green Emperor?" She spelled the word. "But that doesn't mean anything, as if it's incomplete."

"But Master Wizard, there must be something else, this is just the first volume. Do you know about the others?" Cicero begged her.

"It's funny when you said it, it's true there are other volumes to this book, its continuation. In fact, I have the second volume here in my archive." She rose from her seat and walked towards a bookcase in the back of the room. She pulled a book from the dusty stacks, its cover was purple as well.

"See? This is Commentaries on Mysterium Xarxes, Book 2." She showed Cicero the book, he received it and opened the pages immediately, looking for additional clue.

"Master, look here. It says, W-A-Y-W-H-E-R-E. Let's combine it with the phrase from the first book."

The two mages put down their notes and read the hidden words, "Green Emperor Way Where…" They look at each other, sharing confused looks.

"The sentence seems incomplete, perhaps we need the other two book, Master." Cicero shrugged

"I think you are right, but unfortunately, I only have the first two edition. You must try to find the rest of them."

"But where do I should look? Do you have any idea?"

"There's one place I can think of. Have you heard about First Edition?" Cicero gave her a nod. "The proprietor, Phintias, has a nice collection of books, sometimes the rare ones. Maybe you can start there, young one. And I hope for your sake, he doesn't give you much trouble."

Cicero wasted no time and thanked the master wizard before went out of the university complex and headed back to Luther's Broad.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To say it was a sleepless night would be an understatement of the year for Baurus and Juba. Their minds filled with uncertainty and doubts after their run-in with the undercover Mythic Dawn agent in Imperial City. They locked their bedroom because who knows who might come and knock their door, it might be one of those assassin bastards.

Then they heard someone knocked. Juba asked their guest from behind the door, "Who is there? What business do you have with us?"

"It is I, Lord Molag Bal, and I have come to claim your soul in my Coldharbour."

Juba sighed a little and opened the door. Cicero came inside and gave him a scowl.

"What kind of question is that? Do you suspect me to be someone else?" Cicero spat at his friends.

Baurus tried to calm him down, "We must be on our guard at all times. If I can find an assassin posing as a commoner, Talos knows how many more of them?"

"It's alright, Baurus. I understand." said Cicero when he sat down beside the bed. Then he continued, "Anyway, my trip to University was fruitful, my mentor and I together managed to find the hidden code from the book, well, at least part of it."

He explained the discovery to the two warriors, flipping the pages, then he told them about his plan to come and see First Edition.

"So we just need to ask this Phintias guy if he has the other two books, right? It sounds simple." Baurus said after having the explanation.

Juba nodded in agreement, "It is quite simple. The thing is what will you do if he doesn't have it?"

"Then I guess I have to go back to Tar-Meena and make the plan B." Cicero answered him.

"I wouldn't count on it. Let's hope this bookseller is on our side and not helping the Mythic Dawn." Baurus murmured loud enough for them to hear.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They arrived at Market District soon after. It's around 9 o'clock in the morning, so most of the shops were just opened and people from every part of Cyrodiil, if not Tamriel, cramped together on the streets.

First Edition was not so hard to find. It's just in front of the main street where the action happens. Cicero and Juba pushed the door and went inside. The first thing that welcome them was the distinctive aroma of books, lots of them. Juba opened his mouth in awe for he never saw any bookshops or libraries of that magnitude, while Cicero kept his composure. He once came to First Edition to look for some books in the past as an assignment from Arcane University.

Someone cleared his throat to interrupt their fascination, he is a Redguard in his 40s, and he wore a quite fancy clothes. "Welcome to First Edition, gentlemen. How may I serve you? I can give you what you're looking for, if I have it."

Cicero walked past Juba to the counter and faced the seller. "Good morning, Phintias. How are you doing in this fine day?"

The proprietor smiled to him just like what he did to his other customers. "Um, Cicero, if I'm not mistaken?" Cicero nodded.

"Long time no see, young man. I'm so happy to see you again. What brings you here? Looking for academic writings, or some history of a famous wizard?"

Well, actually, there are something I need. Do you happen to have Commentaries on Mysterium Xarxes Book 3 and 4?"

At hearing the question, suddenly Phintias changed his expression. "I hate to break the news, kid, but those books you're looking for are super rare and I'm afraid you'll walk out of here empty handed. I tell you what, there are four books in the series of the commentaries. The first two are quite common. The third book is very rare, but the fourth book is impossible to find."

Cicero felt a bit disappointed at the comment, also felt intimidated by the fact they were so rare, they were out of their reach at the moment. But he didn't intend to give up yet.

"But I know your store houses a number of rare books in Cyrodiil, it even gives the Arcane University library a run for his money, and that means something. I wonder if you have the third book, Phintias." Cicero tried to pull Phintias on his good side using sweet words and compliment.

Phintias bit his lips and planned his next words. "Oh, let me be honest with you. I do have a copy of the third book right now, but I'm afraid it is reserved for someone else. Sooooo sorrryyy…"

Cicero struggled real hard to fight the urge to roll his eyes. He knew exactly this man was not sorry and he's just mocking him.

"My advice to you is to look for the book somewhere else. Gwinas would be most disappointed if he found out his book is missing…"

Phintias quickly put his hand in front of his mouth after he realized he spoke to much. Cicero gave him a nice, short thanks before he came to Juba who had been listening their conversation in the corner. Deep in his mind, he was smiling.

"I assume that went well, am I right? What do you have in mind now?" Juba asked him.

"You heard that yourself, Juba. Someone named Gwinas is going to come here for the book. I think it would be the best if we wait for him, and then I will ask him about the book." Cicero explained his plan.

Juba sat down at the nearest bench. "Alright, then. You can continue with your haggling if you want, but if this doesn't work, I'll handle the negotiation my way. The more we spend the time in this city, the more likely the enemy will follow our step and sniff our plan. We must act fast."

The next one and a half hours was spent in silence. Cicero was reading some books about Queen Potema, a powerful necromancer who rebelled against the Empire hundreds of years ago, while Juba was reading a book called Mixed Unit Tactics. He felt the need to broaden his knowledge about fighting, so he could help Maximus and gave him some inputs.

Then they heard the door being opened. They turned their head from the book they were reading to the source of the sound. A short Bosmer in red went in and walked towards the counter.

"Excuse me, I'm here for my book, Commentaries on Mysterium Xarxes Book 3, please." The Bosmer said nicely.

Phintias went inside for a moment and came back with a book covered in leather wrapper. He handed the book to the Bosmer and received a coin satchel for the price. Then as fast as he came, the Bosmer took the book and brought it with him outside. Juba and Cicero quickly followed him to a narrow street at the edge of the city wall.

Cicero took his chance first as he tapped the Bosmer's shoulder, "Excuse me, Sir. Mr. Gwinas?"

The Bosmer turned around to see the person who said his name. "What? What do you want? Do you want my book? I'm not giving it to you, nor will I sell it." He firmly stated his mind. He obviously saw Cicero and Juba in First Edition.

"If I may, Mr. Gwinas, I'm a scholar and I'm very interested in the daedric cult. If you allow me, I can help you understand the book together." Cicero said as he pointed the book in his arm.

Gwinas chuckled a bit, "Daedric cult? I don't know what you're talking about. I'm afraid you have the wrong man. Perhaps you think I'm somebody else…"

At the time, Juba's patient was running thin and this man was really getting on his nerve. Deciding the time for talk was over, he stepped over Cicero and grabbed the poor Bosmer by the collar. He lifted him up until his feet were dangling in the air and pushed him against the wall.

"Listen up, Bosmer. You don't know what you're getting yourself into. You think they are some kind of social club, don't you? If you do, you are more gullible than I think. Tell me, do you want to join the Mythic Dawn?"

"Please… If you want money, I can give it to you, but please don't hurt me."

"Just answer my question, do you want to join the Mythic Dawn?"

"No, I mean, yeah… So what, am I violating the law? There is no…"

"THEY MURDERED THE EMPEROR, DAMMIT!"

Cicero pulled away his Redguard friend from the Bosmer to avoid the unwanted attention. They're lucky they're in quiet space behind the buildings, but still sometimes, the Imperial guards were patrolling the area.

Gwinas couldn't believe what he just heard, Mythic Dawn killed the Emperor? That's outrageous! He realized he almost joined a band of murderers!

"I… I know they are daedra worshipper and I grow tired of the Aedra. But to think they killed the Emperor, Mara preserve us! I swear I don't know anything about that."

Cicero then tried to persuade him once again, "So what do you think, Mr. Gwinas? Will you give us the book in your hand?"

"Yes, of course! Here it is, the book is yours. I don't want anything to do with their crazy plot and I don't want to know."

Cicero took the book from him, then he asked him again, "Do you know where to find the fourth book?"

"Ah, yes, they gave me this note if I wish to join them. Do whatever you please with it. I'm outta here." He finished and stormed out to the street to who knows where.

Cicero looked at the book, then at Juba. They knew there's only one thing to do, going back at Luther's Broad.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Elder Scrolls and Gladiator. They belong to their respective owners.**

 **A/N: Sorry, for the long delay. I got busy with work so many times and I just started to play Fallout: New Vegas, so my mind has been diverted. But anyway, this is the new chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 11: Green Emperor Way

The investigation continued after Cicero and Juba acquired three out of four books belonged to Mythic Dawn. The secret message was almost complete, but they needed one final clue before they could get the Amulet of Kings back from their hand. Soon after getting their business done in Market District, they opened the letter given by Gwinas. Cicero read out the letter:

 _Gwinas,_

 _Your interest in the writings of the Master has been noted. You are taking the first steps towards true enlightenment. Persevere, and you may yet join the exalted ranks of the Chosen._

 _If you wish to continue further down the Path of Dawn, you will need the fourth volume of the Master's "Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes." It can be obtained only from a member of the Order of the Mythic Dawn. As your designated Sponsor, I will pass on my copy to you if I deem you worthy._

 _Study the first three volumes of the Master's writings. Look for the hidden meaning in his words, as best as you are able._

 _When you are ready, come to the Sunken Sewers under the Elven Gardens in the Imperial City. Come alone. Follow the main tunnel until you reach the room with the table and chair. Sit down. I will meet you there and give you what you desire._

 _The Sponsor_

Cicero folded back the letter, "It looks like this is some sort of initiation process. Whoever possess all the books must be trying to be accepted as one of them."

Juba crossed his arms in front of his chest, "If that's the case, then one of us should pose as one of the candidates. Great. Now we will become spies."

"It's alright." Baurus cut him. "As Blades, we must do anything to ensure the safety of Tamriel and the Emperor. Now, I believe we have work to do, shall we, gentlemen?"

The minute they exited the boarding house, they went to Elven Garden District, then Baurus led them to an alley and revealed a sinkhole.

"Are we really going to do this? I mean, as they said in the letter, it's sewer. There will be human excrement, rats, and Divines know whatever inside." Cicero complained as he smelled the pungent aroma when Baurus opened the lid.

Juba then slapped his shoulder lightly, "What did those mages do to you, Cicero? Are you going soft after all these years in the University? Do I need to remind you what you did for Maximus back then, getting intelligent from unimaginable places?"

"No, it's just, well, I haven't done in a long time, you understand. I just need some time." He said as he steeled his guts.

Baurus started to descent the he stopped and looked up to the new Blades, "You already got your time, kid. Now, if you two are done kissing each other, I suggest we're going down now."

They kept moving in the darkness of the sewer system, encountering rats every now and then, which was not much a problem, really. With the three of them, those animals were nothing but a nuisance. Juba moved forward to Baurus, "Hey, Baurus, you seem to know a lot about the sewer here. Care to explain?"

Baurus stopped his step, then faced Juba and Cicero, "Let me tell you one thing about the Blades, we act in a secretive way to protect the Emperor, we can't risk too many eyes and ears to catch our plans, even the Imperial guards. That's why we use these sewers to move." Then he continued walking leaving the two to absorb the information.

"That explains a lot," said Cicero before joining the party again.

Finally, they came to a stop when Baurus saw the room indicated in the letter. He saw it through the grate in the wall facing the room.

"There you go, it must be the place. I always wonder who put the chair in there."

Juba looked at the room, there was indeed a chair and a table. There was no doubt they were brought here with a purpose. Who else would go through trouble bringing a chair and table in a tight space with the giant rats to fight?

"So what's the plan here? The letter said the sponsor will meet us here, right?" Cicero broke the silence.

Baurus stood up after crouching to inspect the surrounding, "Alright, listen up. I'll go there and meet the sponsor. You two stay here and back me up, just in case. This spot should give you a good vantage point."

Shaking his head, Cicero shot at him, "No way. It's a suicide. They will know you, for sure."

"What do you mean?" Baurus asked him.

"One of their member was given a task to follow you, remember the boarding house? Now that he's gone, they must suspect something. They will recognize your face, Baurus." He finished with a sigh.

Juba nodded in approval, "Actually that make sense. I'll go then, they don't know me. The agent didn't have time to report me when we killed him."

"Okay, be careful, Juba. Just act natural, make them think you came to join them. And don't tell them more than you have to." Baurus put his hand on his shoulder to give him assurance.

"You don't have to tell, me, friend. Just watch my back, okay?"

He went inside the room, sat down on the chair and the waiting game began. Cicero draw his arrow, since the use of magic will alert the Mythic Dawn sponsor immediately. Meanwhile, Baurus readied his Blade sword, ready to bring down anyone who saw them from the lookout.

After not too long, footsteps were heard and three Mythic Dawn members came to the room, dressed in red robes with the symbol of sunrise from the horizon. They stood in front of Juba who was sitting on the chair, one right in front of him, one on his left, and one on his right. The one the center, an Altmer, walked slowly towards him.

"Welcome, Initiate. You have come to this place to receive our blessing. I believe you wish to join the Master as his disciple, yes?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good. Then let's…" His words stopped at the tip of his tongue. His eyes scanned the Redguard carefully, like they're undressing him. Then his eyes were lit, his mind was cleared.

Juba tried to asked him what was going on in an innocent manner, but the Altmer knew there was something wrong with this man.

"You… You are the one from the priory, aren't you? You defend the damn priest, you dirty spy!" He raised his arm and summoned his armor and weapon. He slammed the table, and it broke into two.

Baurus gritted his teeth when he saw all hell broke loose. "So much for the plan!" Then he ran down to the room to join the fight. But Cicero decided to stay where he was and just sent arrows after arrows to the other agents to provide support.

Meanwhile, Juba was busy defending his life by parrying the Altmer blows with his shortsword that he concealed beneath his shirt. The Altmer smiled at him, "You think you are so clever, huh? After I finish with you, I will come for the priest and destroy him!"

"You may try, but my friends will stop you and your Master, you filth!" Juba spat at him. They exchanged strikes once again, while Baurus finishing off one of the agent by stabbing him with his sword to his chest. Cicero finally joined the fray and throwing firebolt to his opponent who used lighting spell. He blocked it with his ward, then he charged forward and pulling a dagger, his ward was still on. The gap between the two was finally gone when the mage scratch his foe's hand with the dagger. The Mythic Dawn agent was holding his hand in pain. Cicero didn't waste his chance, he turned off the ward and switched it with fire spell, burning the target.

The death of his comrades didn't go unnoticed by the Altmer. He turned to look at Baurus and Cicero who stood defiantly. Finally, he felt fear for the first time since he came to the room. He continued fighting Juba, but his attack became sloppy. His sword only slashed the air, so Juba thought to finish the fight. He punched him to make him staggered, the send his sword to his belly, ending his life.

"Oh well, that's three more who won't be reporting back to their Master." Baurus called from across the room.

"These guys were not amateurs, their technique was pretty solid. Whoever they are, they mean business." Juba exclaimed.

Cicero said nothing, but he crouched down to search the three agents. From the ones he and Baurus killed, he found nothing but a few septims, but from the Sponsor, he finally hit the jackpot, the fourth volume of the Commentary series.

"Nice job, Cicero. I knew I could count on you." Juba gave him appreciation. The he direct his attention to Baurus, "What's your call, Baurus? What should we do with their bodies?"

Baurus thought for a second, then he grabbed one of the agents by his hand, "Bring them to the drain. Let the rats took our job. Come on, let's get outside."

* * *

Back to the boarding house, Cicero soon started to arranged the books together, now that they were all complete. Using the previous note, he wrote down the clue from the last book.

"So what does it tell us? Does it say where they keep the amulet?" asked Baurus with much concern. If there was anything he wanted at the moment, it was to crown Martin immediately and end this crisis.

"Apparently, the clue tells us about a place, it says: Green Emperor Way Where Tower Touches Midday Sun." He showed the note to the two Redguards.

Juba looked at it, then turned to Baurus, "We must go there, whatever we're going to find there must be useful. They won't give this clue to the new candidates for nothing."

"I agree," Baurus said, than he walked to the door and wore his Blade armor, "I know Green Emperor Way. It's at the central district of Imperial City, you can't miss it. Come one, waste no time."

They walked out of the boarding house, then to the gate that stood between Eleven Garden District and Green Emperor Way. The guard opened the gate for them upon seeing a Blade walking to him, and when they entered the district, a fresh aroma of grass welcomed them. Everywhere they looked, there were many graves and mausoleums standing on the outer ring. In the center, they could see the White-Gold Tower, the tallest structure in Cyrodiil. Cicero and Juba looked up to the peak with the amazement. For Juba, it was because he'd never seen the tower that close before. In his career as Fighters Guild warrior, he could only see it from afar in the forest. But for Cicero, it was'nt the first time he came to the district. He visited it many times, and many times he wondered how the Aldmer, built the tower in the first place during the Merethic Era. He read the story about how Ayleid, the Wild Elves, occupied Cyrodiil during the First Era, but the humans supplanted them in a rebellion, which led by the legendary figure, Pelinal Whitestrake.

"We're here now. What are we looking for?" Baurus asked Cicero, the smartest person in the group.

"I don't rightly know. It only says we must go here at midday. What time is it?" Cicero asked him.

Juba looked at the sun above them, "It's almost noon. Something's gonna happen, then."

"Alright, everyone, spread out. Search these tombs, look for any detail, report to me no matter how seemingly insignificant that is." Baurus commanded them. Then they began to sweep the area, looking for anything unusual. For almost an hour, they searched, and found nothing.

"Are you sure this is the right place? I'm beginning to think there's nothing here, and they just try to stall us." Baurus murmured to Juba and Cicero.

Juba who had been sitting down on the grass looked at Cicero, "Can you read again the books, maybe you are missing something."

Cicero then pulled out one of the books from his bag, flipping the pages and scanning the sentences for answer, but he didn't get a chance to give Juba a response, because Juba saw something from the corner of his eyes, so he got up and walked to the object. It was a tomb.

"Everyone, over here! I think I found it!" He hollered from across the cemetery. Baurus and Cicero ran to him and found out what he just discovered. The relief on the surface of the tomb became lit with red color and it showed them a map of Cyrodiil. On the map, there's a big star on the right side.

"What does it mean, Cicero? Can you read it?" Baurus asked him.

"I think they want us, I mean the new member, to go to wherever that is." He pointed at the star.

"Maybe it's their sanctuary, it's near Lake Arius in Cheydinhal county." Juba added.

"You know the place?" Baurus asked him.

"Yes, I visited the lake once. I think I can find it again."

"Good work, everyone. I'm sure you know what to do." He spoke to Juba, then he addressed both of them, "I must go to Cloud Ruler Temple. My place is at Martin's side. Are you coming with me, Cicero?"

The Imperial stood silently for a few seconds before answering, "I think so. But I must stop by the University first, though. Tar-Meena wanted me to deliver these books for her collection. Can you deal with it by yourself, Juba?"

The Redguard smiled while grabbing him, "Don't worry about me. You've done your part, now it's my turn to do mine. I'll try my best to come back with the amulet, alive of course."

After sharing a laugh together, they moved out of the central district, then off to their respective target. Cicero headed back to Arcane University and gave Tar-Meena the third and fourth volume of Mythic Dawn Commentaries, which she received with glee as if they were the biggest treasures in Tamriel. Baurus took a hike to the north where he would meet the future emperor for the first time, and he made a promise to himself that he would never fail again with this second chance. He swore that whatever happen, Martin would sit on Uriel Septim's throne and rule Tamriel for many years. While Juba started a long walk to Cheydinhal, imagining what he would encounter once he arrived. One thing he knew, there would be a lot of fighting and blood ahead.

 **That's a wrap for Path of Dawn quest. Next, we will enter Mythic Dawn lair and meet the most important book in this crisis. Hahaha! Until then, so long, guys!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Elder Scrolls and Gladiator. They belong to their respective owners.**

 **Hello, everyone. I'm back with another chapter of this story. Special thanks to oochya who took some time to do proofreading. Thank you very much. Hope I won't make such mistakes in the future.**

 **So, without further ado, let's continue with our story!**

 _"I hate bears!"_ That's what Juba thought when a huge brown bear charging to his direction. Sneaking behind the trees, he readied his sword, moving from one bush to another. The bear didn't notice him until it's too late. He lunged at the bear, sticking his blade into its back, severing the spinal cord, killing the animal. But it's not without a price, judged from several lacerations from when the bear smacked him with its paw.

He cut some of its meat for the night's dinner above the water of Lake Arius. The dark finally arrived in Cheydinhal. He took some time to lay on his back, staring at Masser and Secunda high on the heaven. Fireflies flew above the lake, creating reflections of their enigmatic light. He didn't know what would happen the next morning, so he would simply enjoy that moment while he could. He then remembered Maximus, Martin, and everyone else up there and wondered what they were doing, what kind of conversation they were having, or if Martin had enough training he needed. He tried not to worry too much for he knew they're not just anybody, they're the best people he ever knew in his life so he was sure they could handle everything by themselves. He put that matter aside as he closed his eyes and entered the dream world.

The next morning, after he gathered his stuff, he climbed the side of the lake, looking for any entry point, because to be honest the map didn't show much. After searching for a few moments, he saw a rocky formation that looked a bit out of place. He came closer towards it, and found a wooden door built inside it. He pushed the door and found himself in a new area. Carefully, he scanned the cave, looking for any kind of threats. But he locked eyes with a person in a red-robbed garment, a Mythic Dawn agent, obviously. _"If I'm supposed to retrieve the amulet, perhaps it would be easier if I play along."_

The agent, an Imperial, came to him and gave his greetings, "Dawn is breaking." Juba tried to remember anything from Imperial City, from their crazy books or the Bosmer in the bookshop. "Greet the new day." He replied the salute. The Imperial gave him a smile, "Welcome, brother. The hour is late, but the Master still has need for willing hands. You may pass into the Shrine. Harrow will take you to the Master for your initiation into the service of Lord Dagon. Do not tarry. The time of Preparation is almost over. The time of Cleansing is near."

" _Cleansing? What cleansing? I don't like the sound of this."_ If there's something he learned from his past life, anyone who attempted to do some cleansing was always a pompous maniac. He continued to the next chamber where more agents were guarding it. There were 6 of them, but only one of them met him in person.

"Welcome, brother. I am Harrow, Warden of the Shrine of Dagon. By following the Path of Dawn hidden in the writings of the Master, Mankar Camoran, you have earned a place among the Chosen. You have arrived at an opportune time. You may have the honor to be initiated into the Order by the Master himself. As a member of the Order of the Mythic Dawn, everything you need will be provided for you from the Master's bounty. Give me your possessions, and put on this initiate's robe."

" _Now what? Do I have to give him every single gear I got? Then how am I supposed to fight my way back out of here? I don't think Mankar will say, 'You want this shiny little jewel? Oh, I have no use of it anymore, so take it and you can do whatever you want with it. Perhaps you can decorate your house with that rock to bring more luck.' No. But then again, if I stab this guy right here, right now, I have a feeling the chance isn't better inside. There could be many of them, an entire army, considering this is their base of operation."_ Juba thought hard before deciding, while trying not to reveal too much expression.

Then he smiled, "Um, sure, sir. Can't be too careful, especially these days. I heard the guards are hunting you all across Cyrodiil." He handed the warden, a Dunmer, his twin swords and his leather armor, because he couldn't possibly enter enemy territory with those Blades armor or even iron armor from the guild. He left them with in Cloud Ruler for this secret mission. Harrow took them and gave him a suspicious glare, "So you've heard about us. But what makes you come here after all those nasty news?"

"Because I know who to serve, sir. Daedra are the true gods because they are stronger than the weaklings called Nine Divines. I'm here to offer my true worship to Dagon and repent from my sins." Juba said those words with eloquence. _"Dammit, I have to wash my mouth after this. Horse shit would taste better than those craps. I blame Cicero and his extensive knowledge."_

"Ah, a true believer, I see. Then you come to the right place. The other Daedric cult are just too afraid to take action. They don't want to sacrifice a little peace and stability. Instead they keep on living under the fake Empire who is oppressing us. Please, come in. The ceremony is about to begin." Harrow ushered him deeper into the cave.

Giving his weapons and armor was proved to be hard. Years as a fighter taught him that weapons were the extension of his hands, and armor was his second skin. Juba hesitantly put down his twin swords, a steel dagger and his leather armor, then he put on a piece of red robe with Mythic Dawn insign on the chest. He realized now that violence would do no good. For now, he would have to play along, then see how things went from there.

The cave was really dark. The only source of light were the stationary torches on the side of the wall. But it was enough to shine the way that he could see the path before him. After what seems like ages following Harrow, they arrived at a big room inside the cave. It appeared to be the central hall or something like that. Descending the stairs, he could see many cult followers standing in front of a massive dais, and on top of it, there was a huge statue of a man with four arms. In front of it, a man was speaking. The ceiling was perfect to make his voice reverberated throughout the chamber.

"The Dragon Throne is empty, and we hold the Amulet of Kings! Praise be to your Brothers and Sisters! Great shall be their reward in Paradise!"

"Praise be!" The cultists responded while raising their hands to the air.

Meanwhile, Juba finally get to the bottom of the chamber and joined other cultists. From there he could see the face of their leader, he was an Altmer who wore a fancy blue robe and a piece of jewellery hanging from his neck.

 _"That must be it, there's no doubt. It's the Amulet of Kings!"_ He thought. It was a huge four-sided red gem and eventhough it was dark, it reflected the dim light enough to be seen from below the dais. He knew this because Jauffre filled him in with the details of the amulet before he and Cicero were sent out.

"Hear now the words of Lord Dagon." The leader, who he believed to be Mankar Camoran, as the books said, spoke again. "When I walk the earth again, the faithful among you shall receive your reward: to be set above all other Mortals forever. As for the rest: the weak shall be winnowed; the timid shall be cast down; the mighty shall tremble at my feet and pray for pardon. Your reward, Brothers and Sisters! The time of Cleansing draws nigh. I go now to Paradise. I shall return with Lord Dagon at the coming of the Dawn."

After finishing his speech, the Altmer backed away from the pedestal in front of him, a portal opened and he walked into it, bringing the amulet with him.

Juba gritted his teeth in frustration. He thought he had a chance that he would be called into some kind of initiation ritual and took that opportunity to seize the amulet and get away with it. But now that it was gone, along with the leader of this accursed cult, he began to think that his mission already ended up in failure.

His brain was working hard to find a way out when he heard a woman speaking. "Brothers and Sisters, today Lord Dagon has blessed us for he added our number yet again after the sacrifices that we make." Juba laid his eyes to the source of the voice and found an Altmer standing on top of the dais. She turned to him, "Come, Initiate."

Reluctantly he walked up the stairs and stood beside her. "You have come to dedicate yourself to Lord Dagon's service. This pact must be sealed with red-drink, the blood of Lord Dagon's enemies. Take up the dagger and offer Lord Dagon the sacrificial red-drink, as pledge of your own life's blood, which shall be his in the end."

She led him to an altar where an Argonian who seemed unconscious lied on it. "Come on, take the dagger and make yourself his disciple. You must slay the sacrifice to bind yourself fully to Lord Dagon's service." She said with such inpatient aura. Juba took the dagger slowly, then turned back to the Argonian. He was standing two feet away from him, lifting the dagger in his hand. He tried to imagine who was the person in front of him. Perhaps a father, a son, a friend, a hard worker, or just a wanderer. But whoever he was, now he was nothing but a slave, a cattle for Dagon and he must kill him if he wanted to finish this initiation ritual.

Then he remembered himself being dragged away from his family by the slave trader. They took everything from him, even his right to be human. He wasn't allowed to eat, drink, or take a rest if his master didn't say so. The only thing he had was his master's command to obey. That was until he ran away and be recaptured. They beat the shit out of him and sold him to another buyer, Proximo who trained him to be a gladiator. Slavery was something he knew all too well.

The woman barked from his behind and broke the train of thought, "What are you waiting for, Initiate? Lord Dagon thirsts for red-drink. Sate him!"

That last two sentences just set loose the angry wild horse inside him. He turned with a fury and planted the dagger in her neck, making her choke by her old blood, unable to scream.

He pulled her by the collar, bringing his face closer to hers. "You like that, bitch? I bet Dagon was pleased by your blood. It's red too, isn't it? I don't think he likes Argonian blood."

He let her body slumped to the floor, then he heard angry insults all around him. Yep, the other followers were mad, really mad. He get to the Argonian and cut the rope that binded him quickly. "Wake up, let's get out of here. Come on."

The lizardman tried to speak, but closed his mouth two seconds after that. Standing wobbly, he tried to make a run for it. But Juba stopped him. "Wait!" The gladiator looked at the pedestal and saw a large book with strange symbol on the cover. He grabbed it without thinking and climb down the dais with the Argonian. That's when a loud boom was heard. The statue just fell on top of the altar and the pedestal, if he was too late for just a second, they both would have been dead.

In the bottom, they were greeted by oncoming shock spell. He managed to dodge it in time, but the Argonian wasn't so lucky. He got shot in the shoulder. Juba then started fighting. Armed with only the dagger, he cut down several mages, while defending the Argonian.

Another mage came to him, ready with fire in his hands. He chose to disable him by throwing the dagger that landed perfectly in his eye. The mage was screaming in pain and Juba took the chance to close the distance, he took back the dagger and plunged it into his chest, killing him quickly. But he felt someone pulled him violently to the ground. A Mythic Dawn warrior in full armor raised his axe to bury it in his face. He waited for the blow, but it never came. Instead, the warrior grunted from pain. The Argonian was punching and scratching him with his claws. Even with his armor, the strikes managed to hurt him.

Juba the leap forward to help him, by stabbing the man multiple times in the neck, where the body was less protected. After making sure he was dead, the two started to run out of the chamber and headed to the tunnel from where they came. Room after room they visited, and they annihilated any resistance, Juba was leading using the mace from the previous opponent and the Argonian was using the silver dagger from before. Blood was flowing like a river on the ground and on their bodies. The smell of death was everywhere, it was a massacre, one that Juba didn't regret of. These people knew the risk from the day they joined this organization, they had it coming.

Only one door left standing before them before they were back to the forrest. Juba pushed it opened and a cool breeze of Lake Arius hit their face. He was panting heavily, his sweat was gleaming beneath the sunlight.

"Are you okay?" He asked the former slave. "I am well, friend. Thank you for saving me. I don't know who you are, but it is clear that Akatosh guides you."

"Who are you, by the way? Why did they catch you?" Juba asked him while they were walking downhill.

"My name is Jeelius. I am a priest in the Temple of the One in the Imperial City. I was on a pilgrim one day. They must have ambushed me." He explained. "Do you know who they are?" He asked.

Juba stopped and faced him, "They are a Daedric cult called Mythic Dawn, Mehrunes Dagon worshipers. They were the one who killed the Emperor."

Jeelius' eyes widened in shock, "Is that who they were? All I know is that they intended to sacrifice me to their dark god. Oh, I think I should go back to Imperial City. If only I could erase the memory of that hellish place."

"I couldn't agree more, friend." Juba murmured to him. They resumed walking for eight hours into the night, getting to know each other and stopping to have a short rest and nibble some berries. Until they reached the edge of the forrest. They stopped just before they stepped on the road.

"I think this is it. You said you're going to Bruma, then this is a goodbye. I thank you again for saving my life." Jeelius smiled, showing the rows of his teeth.

"Likewise, Jeelius. If it wasn't for you, I'd be a goner back there." They shook their hands.

"You're a good friend. Perhaps our path will cross again someday. May Akatosh be with you always." Jeelius tucked his hood, then headed south towards Lake Rumare.

Baurus took a last glance at him, then he turned his head to Jerral Mountain where Martin and the rest of his friends were waiting.

 **How do you like it? Juba can be quite badass some time, huh? To be honest, I didn't do it like this during my play, I just went in there and sent them down to Oblivion. Don't you dare to take my stuff! Next, we will see some investigating job back with our pal up there.**

 **Until next time, everyone.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own Elder Scrolls and Gladiator. They belong to their respective owners.**

 **Hiya, guys. Here's another chapter of Maximus' adventure in Tamriel. I hope you like it.**

Chapter 13: Revelation

The night had just passed when Maximus opened his eyes. He saw his beautiful wife still sleeping on the bed. Never before he felt so safe after the resurrection. His family was with him, guarded by professionals and his own friends. He got out of the bed and took a walk around. Opening the door, he headed to the dining room to grab some water. He grabbed the bottle with him and went to the fireplace. In the corner of his eyes, he saw the priest sat down, burying his face in the pile of books.

"Trouble sleeping?" He asked him. Martin was startled and found that he wasn't alone in the room.

"No, it's just... I like reading, and some of these books are quite rare out there. You know." He shrugged.

They looked at each other from their respective bench, not one of them could guess what the other had on mind. Then the moment was interrupted by the sound of the bell.

A Blade on top of the fortress suddenly shouted, "Enemy at the gates!" he bellowed so loud he woke up the entire residents. The Blade archers ran up and stood ready with their bow and drawn the arrow. Captain Steffan and Jauffre quickly moved into their position on the wall. Maximus and Martin soon came out from the main hall when they heard the commotion.

"What is happening?" asked Martin. Jauffre turned himself from the wall, "Your Highness, for your safety, you should not be here. I advise you to go back to the hall where you will be safe."

But Maximus kept walking towards the grandmaster, "What is going on?" Jauffre signaled him to the wall, "One of those bastards found us."

Maximus ran up to see exactly what happened out there. He looked down and saw a red-robbed person standing still in quite a distance from the fortress, but an arrow could easily took him down. It seemed the Mythic Dawn already found their hiding place. "We must kill him before he alerts the others." Jauffre told him. But then, the "spy" opened his hood and revealed his face to everyone.

"Halt! It's Juba, open the gates!" Maximus rushed to the gates to welcome his best friend. Jauffre look down just to make sure, then he ordered his men to stand down. The gates were raising slowly, then the mysterious guest was there to be seen by all. Maximus quickly embraced him and laughed, "I'm glad that you're safe."

"I can say the say about you." Juba chuckled.

"Come on, let's get inside. It's freezing out here." They were walking and climbing the stairs, and just when they reached the last step, someone pushed through the Blades.

"Where is he? Out of my way! Where is he? I'm gonna kill him!" There stood Hagen with his stupid smile and hairy chest exposed because it appeared that he just woke up 30 seconds ago.

"C'mere you idiot." He met his friend and gave him a bear hug that was so strong, it lifted him up from the ground.

Juba was struggling to set himself free from him and he started to be worry that if the hug didn't kill him, the halitosis would. "Hagen… Need…Air…." He screamed with all his might that brought the Nord to his senses.

"Hagen, that was very unbecoming of you. He looks like he just ran through hell, give him some time, will you?" Another voice said who appeared to be Cicero, standing on the porch.

"I'm sure it's very touching and all, but perhaps we can have a chat inside in the warmth of the fireplace." Jauffre addressed them all, then he turned back to other Blades, "All right, folks, show's over, nothing to be seen here, back to work, guys." And the crowd soon dispersed back to the last state before Juba's return.

* * *

After taking a bath and some breakfast, he joined the others at the main hall. Martin was sitting at the table with Cicero while the others were standing up. Jauffre thought it was the best if he started the conversation. "When Cicero came back, he told me that you went to the Mythic Dawn secret base, is that right?" Juba nodded in confirmation. "You should've told us to send backup, what if you failed?"

Maximus raised his hand to stop him there, "I beg a pardon, Jauffre, but from my past experience, I think Juba did the right thing, going there alone. If we sent troops there, the outcome could be worse. They might send an all-out attack on us, or the Empire if we did it."

"And what experience is that exactly, Maximus? I don't remember you telling us about your past."

"Is that so important right now?

"If you are going to be the leader of this whole thing, then yes, it is. Because you know what? I made my own investigation. And I found nothing about you prior joining the Fighters Guild, as well as your friends here. Now tell me, why is that?" He ended his rant and looking sharply into Maximus' eyes.

Maximus inhaled deeply, "We, uh, came from a distant land."

"What land? Hammerfell, High Rock, Valenwood? My research shows nothing about those lands." Jauffre retorted.

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but…"

"As crazy as having four men fought so well against daedra after spending only 5 years at the Fighters Guild and 2 years at Arcane University?"

Maximus was feeling lost now. He didn't know how to explain it without punching the old man in the face. Luckily, Cicero was there to help.

"The truth is we are not from Tamriel at all, Grandmaster. Not even from Nirn or Mundus, actually."

Martin looked at him in disbelief, "What? What do you mean?"

Cicero cleared his throat, "We came from a different world entirely, it's called Earth. And on Earth, we're all dead. But someday, our god of the underworld decided to give us a second chance to save your world. Now that I remember it, it was Akatosh who came to our world and asking for help to our gods. So, here we are."

Baurus who had been silent the whole time decided to ask, "Are you some kind of daedra?"

"No, we aren't daedra, Baurus. If we were, would we help you so far? Our world is not a part of Aurbis." Cicero snapped quickly.

There was a long silent in that room for no one knew what to say about it. Then Martin opened his mouth, "That was…. unexpected. But it does explain a lot about you guys. By the way, is your family…?" Martin directed the last question to Maximus.

"Yes, they were brought here too." Maximus gave him a nod.

Jauffre then put his hand on the table to bring back the discussion to where they left it, "So, I heard about your run-in with Mythic Dawn in Imperial City and you, Juba, had just infiltrate their lair. What do you get?"

"When I got there, they forced me to hand them all my equipment, that's why I came here in their robe. Then I saw their leader, a charismatic Altmer called Mankar Camoran. He was giving them a speech about some sort of cleansing, that the Empire will fall to Mehrunes Dagon and all the bull crap." Juba explained his experience.

"Do you manage to get back the Amulet of Kings? Is it even there? Besides, that is the reason behind this mission, you remember?" Jauffre demanded.

Juba looked down and stammered a little bit before continuing, "Um, about that. Before I could do anything, Camoran opened a portal and brought the Amulet with him to wherever the portal led him."

Everyone's mood suddenly dropped when they learned the Amulet escaped their grasp once again, particularly Maximus who leaned on one of the pillar. After all, Emperor Uriel Septim gave the Amulet personally to him. He shared the same feeling of failure with Juba when the Amulet was stolen in the Priory.

Jauffre huffed in annoyance, "So you failed the mission. This only confirms my doubt, you should call for backup instead going solo."

Maximus gave Jauffre a glare as a warning to watch his words. He didn't like it when he insulted his friend as an incompetent fool. Perhaps he must have a long talk with him after this was over.

Juba then put a sack that he grabbed all that long on the table and pulled out its content. "Yes, I didn't retrieve the Amulet for Martin here. But I took something else from there. Seeing you as a scholar, I think you might be interested."

Martin saw the object that he pulled out, it was a book. But when he saw the cover, his adrenalin was skyrocketing and he snatched it from him by force.

"By the Nine, that such thing is dangerous even to handle!"

His sudden outrage successfully made everyone jumped from their bench, even the Blades from the next room rushed to the scene to see what was wrong. "Is everything alright, Grandmaster?" asked one of them.

"It's okay, soldier. We can handle it ourselves. Please, go back to your post." Jauffre raised his hand to calm them down. After the Blades were out of there, everyone put their attention to the book with ivory cover and strange symbol on it. Martin put the book down on the table among other books.

"I…I'm sorry. You were right to bring it here. It's safer here than in their hands." He sighed.

Cicero couldn't help himself but to look at the strange object. The book had the same symbol as the Commentary series, but the size was clearly bigger. "What book is that. Martin? Is it so dangerous?" He asked the ex-priest.

Martin closed his eyes for a couple seconds to prepare himself for the answer. He heard about the book once, but he never saw it himself until today. The thought of seeing it personally made him sick. "This is Mysterium Xarxes. A tome that was written directly by Mehrunes Dagon. So in a way, you can take it as daedric artifact. And you must never, never take a daedric artifact lightly. Even touching it can affect your mind, I dare not to think what it will do if you read it."

Cicero starred the tome with such curiosity and fear at the same time. The University strictly banned anything related to necromancy, but sometimes they taught a thing or two about daedra. They said that Daedric Princes are immensely powerful beings due to their absence in creating Mundus, thus they don't pour their power over it like Aedra.

"What could possibly be written inside?" asked him.

"Whatever that is, it must be evil. Or maybe, we can learn something to our advantage." Martin answered him while folding his arms together.

Maximus stroked his chin, absorbing the information. "By 'we', you mean it's you, don't you? Look around, it's clear to you are the only one with enough experience with magical things like this, even more than Cicero, no offense, friend." He addressed the last one to his old buddy.

Martin looked up to meet the ex-general's face. He was thinking about his words for a moment. Dealing with daedric artifacts was always dangerous as they were cunning and corrupting as the princes were. There was no telling what would happen if he tampered with the cursed book in front of him. He might become mad, wicked, gloomy or perverted beyond repair.

"Yeah, it seems we have no choice after all. It's not like a mage who is an expert in daedric knowledge will come here, is it Jauffre?"

Jauffre only frowned and shook his head, "No. It would be too dangerous, milord. Anyone of those cultist could knock our front door posing as a scholar from Arcane University." He turned to face Cicero who sat across Martin, "I'm fully aware of your cooperation with Tar-Meena, but we can't take the risk. She cannot help us this time, although she will be rewarded after this is over. Instead I need you to help Martin decipher whatever you find inside the book. I want every detail reported no matter how seemingly insignificant it may be."

No one was disagreeing with him this time, they just nodded in silence or starred into each other's eyes.

"Then we better start reading and investigating." Martin said which added by Cicero with a small smile.

Jauffre tried to give him support by patting his shoulder, then he talked to Maximus, "While they're at it, Captain Steffan and I need to speak to you, and you can bring your Nord friend as well." Maximus and Hagen joined him immediately, but Juba was all to take a rest after the fiasco at the cave.

They walked out of the hall and into his private room. After they sat down, Jauffre started to break the news. "Before we start, I want to tell you that Juba did a good job and I'm sorry for doubting him earlier. If the mission failed, the result would be worse. They could have found out about our location. I think I let my emotion clouded my judgment."

"I understand. As a professional myself, I can see from your point of view. I'm just glad we resolved the problem." Maximus gave him a quick smile.

Then Hagen voiced his concern, "So what's the problem that require us to speak in private?"

Jauffre raised his eyebrows, "Oh, right, about that… Captain Steffan, please explain the situation to these gentlemen."

Steffan cleared his throat before beginning, "Well, my men reported to me about two stranger who has been seen for the past two nights on the road to Cloud Ruler Temple. It's usually empty, saved from only the Blades and a selected Bruma soldiers."

"So what we need right now is for you to go there and see if they are a threat to us. Try to use persuasion if possible but if you get a resistance, feel free to use some force." Jauffre explained.

Maximus leaned back on the chair, "Let me get this straight, you want me, the so-called Hero of Kvatch, to meet a potential Mythic Dawn agent and sweet talk to them? I have a feeling it's gonna be a bit difficult, not impossible."

"I see your point, Maximus. But luckily, we have already thought about that. I don't think your friend here will have much problem." Jauffre said.

Hagen folded his arms together, "What do you propose?"

Now every pair of eyes was set on Jauffre, waiting him to say something important, "I want you to put on disguise as a simple traveler from Skyrim with little equipment, so it won't attract unnecessary attention. Maximus will meet you in Bruma through another way, if they're spies, it's likely they have a base in Bruma. It's a long distance from here to Cheydinhal. Find out everything you can find, then bring them to me. Is that clear?"

"Crystal. When do we leave?" Maximus exclaimed.

"This dusk, it's when we saw them last time. You can meet them near the runestone in the outskirt of Bruma. We better get prepared, especially you, Hagen." Steffan informed them.

After that, they came back to their respective room to tell Juba, but also Claudia and Octavius about this new development. It's still a few hours before dusk, but the preparation had gone underway. No one knew what lied ahead of them and only in the darkness of night would they be revealed.

* * *

There you go guys, to be honest i don't like doing this quest during my gameplay for some reason. How about you? What's your favourite quest? Tell me in the review section.

Until next time,

haljordan123


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Elder Scrolls and Gladiator. They belong to their respective owner.**

Chapter 14: Spies

If there was one thing that was hard enough for Hagen to do, it was choosing clothes. Fighting bears or lions, he would do it with relative ease, but getting the perfect size of tunic always posed a problem with his large posture. Luckily, their proximity to Skyrim provided him with a shirt fit for a Nordic man such as him. He posed in front of the mirror and found himself satisfied by the look. He was not pretty to look at, but he looked innocent enough, that was what Jauffre wanted.

He went out of Cloud Ruler Temple, pushing a wooden cart that was filled with some cabbages, carrots and potatoes, fresh from Skyrim, for Bruma. That's the alias Jauffre gave him. That path downhill was proved to be a bit difficult for the cart to maneuver. He had to avoid the rocks and sometimes he even lifted the cart when it was stuck in the snow, not to mention it was close to 6 pm, the surrounding area was getting dark, impending his visibility. Finally Hestra Rune Stone was seen down below, the surface was glowing green in the dark, making it a landmark for the Bruma people.

When he passed it, he saw a Redguard woman in a flax tunic hiding behind the pillar and looking at the direction of the Temple. Willing to perform well, he decided to hail her, "Good evening, my lady. Greetings from Skyrim. Could you tell me which way is Bruma?"

The woman looked at him with a bit of caution. She scanned him from head to toe, couldn't be too careful. Seeing him with a cart gave her a notion that he was some sort of a traveling merchant selling produce from a farm. Besides, which spy want to be burdened by such thing?

"Bruma is that way, sir. Just head down the hill and you will see it," she said while pointing to the city.

"Thank you, Ma'am. I'll be going now, take care of yourself. This mountain is perilous, just saying," Hagen gave her his best smile he could.

The woman smiled back at him, "Don't worry, I will be alright. You better hurry, the day's growing dark."

Hagen nodded and continued to the city. But not before taking one last glance at the woman. To his surprise, she conjured a mace that appeared in a yellow light. " _Damn you, Stefan, you never told me it's a woman_!" he thought.

Hagen left his cart and came to the woman. After he was right behind her, he muffled her mouth and choked her from behind. She struggled to free herself, but Hagen was just too strong. He knew he must end this quickly before the city watch heard this ruckus, so with a force, he broke her neck and she slumped to the ground.

He looked around him and nobody was there. That was good. He looked at the dead Redguard woman in front of him. "See? I told you this mountain is perilous. Because I'm on it." He stopped to think of what to do. If she was one of the spies, she probably had something valuable, a clue perhaps.

So he checked her belongings and found some coins and a key. The problem now was to find out what key was this. He tugged the key, grabbed a dagger from the cart - because well, swords and hammers were considered unsuitable for the mission - and walked to Bruma, leaving the cart behind.

He arrived in Bruma at around 8:00 PM, the shops were closed and the citizens went back to their homes or to Olav's Tap and Tack. It was a clear night, one could see Masser and Secunda in the sky with their bright colors. The cold breeze came down from Jerall Mountains which explained why the majority of Bruma inhabitants were Nords. Hagen entered the city and headed to Olav's inn, it was the usual meeting place for him and Maximus, and that's where they planned to meet this night. Inside, the place was filled with people chatting and drinking. He went to the usual table and spotted Maximus sitting there, drinking his beer.

"How is it going? You found anything?" Maximus asked him when he sat down.

Hagen sighed and replied to him, "I did find the spy. She's a woman. Redguard. She conjured a mace out of thin air, probably a mage. Damn."

"What? What happened?"

"Steffan didn't tell us it's a she! You know I have a soft spot for women," Hagen spat.

Maximus smirked at him, teasing him, "I think Elysium has made you soft, even after we live in Tamriel, you refused to make the killing blow to a female bandit. You always pick on the male, leaving me or Juba to finish the women."

"Except for orcs, they are all ugly, I don't care which one I kill," he huffed, feeling a bit embarrassed for that fact. On Earth, back when he fought as a gladiator, he would gladly kill any opponent, men or women, as long as they were willing to fight. But now love and appreciation of life had entered his heart and changed him forever. Hagen realized that taking someone's life was easy, but he couldn't make a new life, aside from the reproduction. No one could bring the dead back to life, not even necromancers. They would just reanimated the corpse, but not fully resurrected it.

Maximus was happy his friend had a change of heart. It was never easy for warriors like them who had seen too many death to value life greatly. And that was exactly what they were doing, saving countless lives in Tamriel by stopping Mythic Dawn.

"Don't worry, Hagen, you can confront him later after we finish all this. What did you find?" Maximus asked him again.

Hagen reached to his pocket and put the content on the table, "Aside from a few septim, nothing but a simple key. I wonder what this key is for." He handed the key to Maximus so he could take a closer look. It was an ordinary looking key with the symbol of Bruma on the head, but other than that, there was no elaborate carving.

Maximus put the key back and pushed it towards Hagen, "There's one thing for sure, if there's a key, then there's a door, right here in Bruma. It is unlikely to be a door in the castle which is more fancy. The key must open one of the buildings here."

"And it can't be Fighter's Guild. I spend much time there to know everyone in there. If she was one of them, I would have known," Hagen told him.

"Then how do we find which door it will open. Bruma is not a small city, and on top of that, trying to open all the doors will make us look like thieves, those stealing bastards!" Maximus spoke out, telling him what he thought. Thieves were like rodents that gnawed upon the society, they were always taking, never giving back and he heard a rumor about the existence of a guild for thieves, but he didn't believe it. They only cared for themselves, so how could they be organized like Fighter's Guild or Mages Guild, like they say, no honor among thieves, right?

But it seemed the Divines decided to help them once again. Somehow, a man talked to a woman about the disappearance of this Jearl, how she was back in town after going away for a month. So Hagen rose from his chair and came to them.

"Excuse me, I can't help but listen to your conversation. Who is this Jearl you are talking about?" he asked them as if he didn't know what happened to her.

The man, an old Nord, spoke first, his voice was raspy, "She is our neighbor, she doesn't stay for a long time. And she's a quiet person, never mingle with us here, keeps everything to herself."

"I think she's keeping a secret. One time we bumped to each other on the road, but she didn't even say hi or smile to me. How rude!" the woman added.

Hagen folded his arms in front of his chest and tried to look concerned, "You said she's back in town. Can you tell me where she is?"

The old man sighed, "I'm afraid you're too late, lad. I saw her entered her house in the lower level, just across from Ongar's house. Then she went out of the city through the northern gate and hasn't been back ever since. Why do you ask?"

Hagen turned to Maximus while his brain was working hard to find an answer, he didn't want them to think he was going to do some breaking and entering. "I, uh... My friend over there wants to see her. An old friend, you see. They hadn't seen each other for a long time, so when he heard you two talking about her, he's just curious."

"Friend, huh? I can't believe there's someone who wants to befriend a wench like her. I'm sure he's her ex-husband. We women know of these things," the woman said in disgust.

Hagen said nothing but chuckled nervously, then thanked both of them before going back to the table. Maximus wondered what information he had learned so he gave him the question, "Alright, what did they tell you? Anything useful?" Then Hagen started to tell him everything he'd been told. They realized the only way to know what the spy was up to was to go to her house and something there. So they decided to wait until midnight when the citizens turned in for the night and the road wasn't too crowded.

They went out of Olav's and headed straight to Ongar's house at the rear of the Chapel of Talos. In front of it was a normal-sized house which they assumed to be Jearl's house. Maximus tried and put the key in while Hagen watched for the guards. There was a click and the door was opened with a soft creak. They entered the house slowly and started to search everything, everything that may proved the owner's involvement with Mythic Dawn. They opened every desk, drawer, end table, cupboard, and under the bed, but they found nothing and Hagen wondered if old man misled him somehow. He walked back and forth, trying to find a clue when he heard something under his feet. The wooden floor that he stepped felt a bit different than the rest. He knelt and uncovered the rug from the floor, revealing a trapdoor.

"Hey, Maximus, over here. Look." The ex-general came over and saw his discovery.

"Good job, Hagen. Now let's see if this key can open it," he suggested. He inserted the key and turned it clockwise. Again, a click was heard and the trapdoor was opened, showing what looked like to be a basement.

The two readied their dagger, Maximus in the front, Hagen in the back. They descended into the basement and found another bedroom, instead of food cellar like other common houses. Maximus examined the table, there was a book that looked similar to the one in Cloud Ruler Temple. Right next to it, there was a letter folded in two. He took it and read the content.

 _Jearl_

 _The Master was pleased to hear of your activities outside of Chorrol. The more gates that we open, the nearer we are to the glorious Cleansing._

 _The Master has chosen you and Saveri for a most crucial mission, a sign of your advancement through the ranks of the Chosen. We have learned that the Septim heir has gone to ground at Cloud Ruler Temple, the lair of the accursed Blades. The Master has made its destruction the top priority of the Order, and Lord Dagon has committed whatever resources are required._

 _Pending your report on the Septim's activities at Cloud Ruler Temple, and your assessment of Temple defenses and possible routes of escape, we plan to open a Great Gate in the open ground before Bruma as soon as possible._

 _Remember: the first three Lesser Gates represent only the preliminary stages of Great Gate Deployment. Do not in any way compromise your cover in defense of these gates. New ones can be quickly and easily reopened. And once the Great Gate is opened, the fall of Bruma is assured. Cloud Ruler Temple cannot stand long after that, and the Septim will be caught like a rat in a trap._

 _We would welcome any further details you can offer concerning the Imperial agent who rescued Martin from Kvatch, but again, we caution you... do not risk a confrontation. This individual is not to be trifled with._

 _The Dawn is breaking,_

 _Ruma Camoran_

Maximus was stunned, knowing that this city, Bruma, was their next target and they were going to make her share the same fate as Kvatch. Another thing was that spy who Hagen killed wasn't alone, exactly like the report. This Saveri was helping her in collecting information regarding Martin in Cloud Ruler Temple and Maximus knew it posed a big problem. Their sanctuary had been discovered. He must get this news to Jauffre immediately. If the last Septim was compromised, any chance to defeat Mythic Dawn and stop the deadric invasion would lost forever.

"Hagen, we must get back now. This city is in great danger, look," Maximus showed him the letter and let him read it carefully.

But while Hagen was busy reading, something moved behind him, a distortion of light. No one realized it until it was materialized right behind him, the Mythic Dawn assassin in full armor. Maximus reacted fast and pushed Hagen aside, stopping the assassin from killing him. Maximus and Hagen drew their dagger and took a fighting stance, while the assassin raised one hand and conjured a dremora with a mace. The fight ensued with Maximus battling the dremora and Hagen trying to take out the assassin. Maximus soon found himself in a tight spot since his dagger couldn't reach the dremora without risking to get hit by the mace. Hagen was no different, his dagger helped him little against ice magic from the assassin. He took cover behind rows of food barrels, while the killer searched for him. He crouched from one barrel to another, trying to evade the assassin. Then he got an idea, he left one of his boot behind a barrel, but he pushed it a bit outward so that the assassin could see it. The Mythic Dawn agent rolled that barrel and was about to strike him when Hagen put his dagger into the assassin's shoulder. The yelling was heard from the assassin, a female one.

"I cannot allow you to succeed with your plan. You will not destroy Bruma!"Hagen stated.

The female assassin pulled out the dagger from her should and threw it on the floor, "You cannot stop Lord Dagon, unbeliever! Oblivion take you!" Now they engaged in a wrestling match, she pushed Hagen to a cupboard where she punched him in the face. But Hagen grabbed a silver urn from the top of the cupboard and hit her with it, stunning her for a second. He hit her with his bare hands, then he lifted and slammed her to the floor. He took the dagger and pushed it to her chest, but she casted the ice spike that grazed his thigh. She approached him with a bound sword in her hand as he tried to stop the bleeding. She prepared to plant the ethereal blade when Maximus hit her in the back with a chair. The assassin fell down on top of Hagen. Maximus immediately dropped the broken chair and rolled her to if his friend was okay.

When he pushed her, it was clear to him that she was dead by having her heart stabbed with the dagger Hagen hold as she fell down. Maximus was just finished the summoned dremora when he heard Hagen screamed in pain, so he decided to help. He saw the cut in Hagen's thigh and he knew it wouldn't healed by itself. Given that he wasn't a proficient healer, he look for a potion of healing in the room and found one in one of the chest upstairs. He couldn't take a risk of going out of the city gate, dragging wounded Hagen back to Cloud Ruler Temple. The city watch would be attracted and they surely would give them trouble.

Hagen drank the potion slowly and felt his body regenerating the cells and closed the wound. "I guess that's the other spy. Can we say this mission accomplished? I kinda miss Cloud Ruler's fireplace," he said as he got up.

Maximus looked at the place, everything was a mess. Tables were split, papers were lying everywhere, there were some broken bottles on the floor and let's not say about the bed. That thing was no longer recognizable. "Yeah, I think we're finished here, let's go." He supported Hagen to the front door, just to see if he could walk. When Maximus was sure he was fine, they headed to the gate and walked out of the city.

Trekking along the snowy path, they wondered if everyone was okay up there and what were they doing while the two were gone. Hagen couldn't wait to tell Juba and Cicero about the mission, and to Jauffre who he imagined would be pleased to know that the threat was now gone. But Maximus was thinking the most important part of this conflict, Martin. If the last Septim didn't succeed in his effort with Mysterium Xarxes, then everything they had done would be for naught and Tamriel would fall into the hands of Mehrunes Dagon. That terrifying idea made him walk faster as he wished to get back to the fortress soon, to meet his family and friends, give Jauffre the report and receive the next mission.

 **A/N: Finally, we see Hagen got some action in this chapter and Maximus became his sidekick, hahahaha. But don't worry, for the next chapters, they will share the tasks as Martin gives them fetching quests. Please, send me your reviews so I know what you think about this story.**

 **To oochya: So sorry for the errors, English is not my first language. I hope to improve my writing skill with each chapter. Thank you very much.**

 **Until next time, everyone.**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Blood of the Daedra

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Elder Scrolls and Gladiator. They belong to their respective owner.**

The sun just rose from the horizon when Martin heard someone knocked on his door. He struggled to get up from his bed as he rubbed his eyes. Wearing his sandals, he reached the door, "Who is this?"

"It's Belisarius, sire. The Grandmaster is asking you to meet him in the great hall immediately," said the man behind the door.

Martin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Give me a minute, please." He grabbed a fur coat from the wardrobe, courtesy of Jauffre, who took pity on him after watching him shivering two days before. Growing up in Colovian Highlands didn't prepare him for the cold weather of Jerall Mountains.

He opened the sliding door and saw the young Imperial Blade standing guard on its side. Belisarius volunteered himself to escort Martin to the great hall, something Martin accepted with reluctance. This idea of being the Emperor and having someone to protect him all the time started to change his lifestyle. Before the siege of Kvatch, he could go anywhere he wanted without being watched, but now there was always one or two Blade who followed him anywhere, except the bathroom.

They entered the great hall and Martin saw Maximus and Hagen sitting on the bench with bruises and cuts on their bodies. Juba was there too, looking worried after looking at Hagen's ugly scar. Jauffre was talking with them when he saw Martin.

"Good morning, Martin. Thank you for coming this early. I'm sorry if I disturbed your sleep," Jauffre greeted him.

"It's alright. Now, is there a problem?" asked the priest. Jauffre turned to see Maximus and Hagen, "They just came back from Bruma and they have important news to tell us."

Jauffre nodded to Maximus to allow him to speak. Maximus rose from his bench, "We found the spies Captain Steffan spotted. They were Mythic Dawn agents. But we killed them and we managed to locate their hiding place in Bruma." Maximus paused to think about his next words because he was about to tell them the most important part.

Jauffre told him to continue, so he sighed and spoke, "Their plan is to launch an attack on Bruma, just like on Kvatch."

Every Blade murmured among them, feeling worried and shocked by the news. If Bruma fell by the forces of Oblivion, there was no doubt Cloud Ruler Temple would be next, along with the heir to the throne they were sworn to protect.

Jauffre looked at his subordinates and raised his voice, "Silence! I know the situation is dire. Another city could be destroyed by the Mythic Dawn and Mehrunes Dagon's army. But we won't achieve victory by worrying and doing nothing."

The Blades glanced at each other, unsure what to say or do, and waited their grandmaster's decision. The Breton monk turned to Martin, "How is your research on Mysterium Xarxes, Martin? Is there a new development?"

Martin opened his mouth to answer him with they heard Cicero, Claudia and Octavius came in. Claudia ran to her husband and hugged him gently. She was so worried every time he was on mission that she would lose him again. Meanwhile, Maximus told Octavius to help his "Uncle Hagen" standing up and bring him to the infirmary to have his wounds treated.

After the emotion was back to normal, Martin went on with his explanation, "Last night, Cicero and I finally decoded a part from the Xarxes. The book is written in Daedric alphabet, the one that is used by the Dunmer in Morrowind."

"And how exactly do you know Daedric alphabet?" Maximus asked him.

Cicero came closer to Martin, "I studied it back in Arcane University. I didn't enroll in the program intensively, but I know how to read some daedric. Translating the text is another matter though. Luckily Martin here had a couple of Dunmer acquaintances in the past, so he was able to translate the book, with much difficulties, I must say."

Everyone was genuinely impressed by how much knowledge these two men possessed. Their biggest asset was not their battle prowess, but their intelligence and fluency in other worldly stuff. Jauffre looked down at the book, wondering how possibly that accursed thing be of help.

"So what do you find, Martin? Does the book tell us anything about how to stop Mehrunes Dagon's invasion on Tamriel?" asked Jauffre.

Martin combed his brown hair with his fingers and massaged his forehead that was still pulsating because of the reading, "Well, not exactly, but after sleepless nights and mental attack it gave us, we managed to decipher some massages it contains. The book speaks about four items that need to be gathered to open a portal to some kind of a pocket realm of Oblivion where we believe Mankar Camoran fled to with the Amulet of Kings. Last night, we found out that the first item is the blood of the daedra."

Everyone gasped by the finding. How in Oblivion would they get the very blood of the daedra? Maximus scratched his head that wasn't itchy, "Martin, are you sure? Those daedra live in another realm, so unless you're willing to travel to Oblivion, I don't see how we can obtain such thing."

Martin raised his index finger and waved it, "No, that's where you're wrong, my friend. In fact, you're wrong twice. First, I said we need the blood of THE daedra, not a daedra. That means we want the blood from one of the daedric princes."

The hall was suddenly filled with moaning of shock and protest from the Blades. At this time, they were all trying to stop a daedric prince from entering the world, but now this illegitimate son of the late emperor claimed that they needed them for their blood? It's either the book was right or he had gone mad after reading it all day. Even Maximus, Juba, and Jauffre were arguing with Martin as they were trying to convince him that there was a mistake.

Claudia saw the commotion in the hall and felt helpless to stop them. She wanted to help, but what could she do? After all, she was just a simple merchant from Bravil who happened to be the wife of the Hero of Kvatch. But then she saw Cicero leaped from his bench.

"Everyone, please calm down! We will not summon a daedra lord on Tamriel," he announced. All arguments stopped and every eye was looking at him, begging him to continue. "The blood is the essence of life for everything, as well as the princes. Their artifacts are the representation of their power, thus they are the essence of their respective daedric prince. So technically, the daedric artifacts are the blood of the daedric princes. That's what Martin is trying to say."

Martin smiled at the young mage, having Cicero here really helped him, not just as a mage, but as a friend too, who did understand his struggle in dealing with the mystery of magic. Two is better than one, indeed.

Martin walked to a bookshelf and took two books, one with purple cover and one with brown leather cover. As he brought the books, he addressed everyone, "The only way to obtain a daedric artifact is through the cults devoted to each of the Daedric Lords. The book Modern Heretics is the best introduction to daedric cults, but The Book of Daedra has a complete list the daedric princes. Right now, I need one of those artifacts for the ritual to open a portal to where Mankar Camoran is hiding. The Mysterium Xarxes ritual will consume the physical form of the artifact in order to release its daedric power."

Jauffre took Modern Heretics and scanned the content. He learned that to obtain a daedric artifact was to earn the daedra's favor, which meant to commune with one. He closed the book and looked at everyone sternly, "This is not a task to be trifled with. The daedric princes are known for being evil and cunning. They'll never let anyone of you get away with their artifacts so easily. They will bind and twist your mind before they claim your soul. If you are going to do this, at least you should have a strong mind to protect yourself. Now who will volunteer to retrieve the artifact?"

Every pair of eyes slowly drifted to the only mage in the room beside Martin. Cicero was overwhelmed by how they simply shove him the dreaded task. He cursed himself silently and wished he mastered the invisibility spell, then used it to run away from Cloud Ruler Temple and back to the University.

Then he felt someone squeezed his shoulder that made him flinched. It was Martin who tried to ease his anxiety. Martin told him to sit down as Jauffre ordered every Blade to get back to work. Maximus and Juba joined the priest shortly.

"Are you alright?" Maximus asked him.

Cicero exhaled, seemingly exhausted already, "I don't know. I'm not sure I can do this, Maximus. I can deal with ordinary necromancers, but we are talking about daedric princes for Mara's sake. Their power is beyond comprehension."

Maximus looked him in the eye and told him from his heart as a friend, "Listen, I may know nothing about magic, but I know from our past life. You have strong heart and willpower that can't be swayed by a mountain of gold or the raging sea. You're one of the strongest people I know and that strength comes from here," Maximus pointed at Cicero's chest as he encouraged him.

Martin was touched by the friendship they had. It was important to have someone to support you when you needed them the most. He wished he had one in his youth. "He is right, Cicero. I see your quality when you decided to help me with Mysterium Xarxes. You know the risk, yet you still offer your help, and you show me resilience that only few mages possess. The dark power from the book is enough to make a skilled mage give up. But not you. So it's not an exaggeration if I say you will succeed to bring the artifact," Martin said as he hugged Cicero like a brother.

They spend the next hour having breakfast and laughing, as well as preparing for the artifact hunting. After the meal, Cicero grabbed his leather rucksack and put in the supplies Jauffre provided him. He took a steel bow from the Blades armory to replace his old bow. He left the gate with Martin and Maximus sending him away.

Once he was out of the fortress, his first destination was Bruma. The building he visited was the county chapter of Mages Guild where he restocked his potions and soul gems. He also stopped by the local food stalls to purchase some perishable foods. From his rucksack, he took a small frost-enchanted casket and put those foods, most of them were meat, inside. The casket was invented by him and one of his classmates several months prior the Emperor's assassination. It was made out of wood with Ayleid ornaments and it could be powered by a filled petty soul gem that lasted for 4 to 6 hours. Before he accompanied Maximus, he was working with the bigger version that was powered by stronger soul gems, such as greater or even grand soul gems, which could power the casket for a whole week or more, according to his hypothesis. He was thinking to continue his project and get the approval from the Office of Imperial Commerce and see them sold in major stores in Tamriel, because it would certainly help the long distance travellers and merchants in temperate climate like Cyrodiil, but probably he would encountered some difficulty in Skyrim as the province was already a giant ice cube. He strapped the casket with a piece of rope to his rucksack and headed to the gate, to hunt the blood of the daedra. At the back of his mind, he knew it's going to be a long trip.

* * *

"Choices, choices, choices. So many choices, yet I only need to pick one." That's what Cicero was thinking as he read The Book of Daedra. The book explained all 16 daedric princes in details, what was their sphere, what was their artifact, when to summon them and where one could find their shrine in Cyrodiil, except Mehrunes Dagon, of course. The nearest one from Bruma was the shrine of Namira who made him shuddered when he thought of how her followers eat corpses. He passed it and ventured further south, ignoring Mephala because of her connection to murder, sex, lie, secret and plot. He followed the Red Ring Road to Gold Road, passing by the shrine to Molag Bal which wasn't even a choice when he learned about what he did to Tamriel in the second era. Besides, Hannibal Traven enforced a strict policy regarding necromancy, and Molag Bal was the patron of most necromancers.

Cicero opened the again to look for the next nearest daedric shrine, which was Clavicus Vile's. The book told him how the daedra lord often granted mortals' wishes, but in ways that turned out poorly for them. So he looked for an alternative. Further west of Skingrad was the shrine of Sanguine, the daedric prince of debauchery. Cicero weighed his choices, should he take this one or go looking for another one? This daedra was often associated with drunkenness, it's not too bad, Cicero thought. The chance that Sanguine would tell him to kill or scam someone was quite low, maybe he would like to get Cicero drink all the wine in Skingrad until he passed out, but hangover could always be cured, right? Cicero closed the book and walked into the forest to meet the daedra and have his artifact.

* * *

After replacing the soul gem for his casket nine times, he finally reached a clearing in the forest where a tall statue stood on the pedestal. It had a pair of horn on its head and it was holding a mug of beer. There were other people as well, drinking and fucking each other to their heart's content. Somehow it reminded him of a whorehouse back in Rome.

He approached a Bosmer who was drinking alone, "Excuse me, sir. Is this the shrine of Sanguine?"

The man turned around and looked at him with red face, "Well of course, lad. Come on, join us, have a drink for our lord! You bring it yourself? That's good. Or you can always take one from that crate."

Cicero shook his head, "No, you are mistaken, sir. I wish to know how do I get his artifact, Sanguine's Rose."

The man laughed out loud when he heard him, "You're an ambitious one, aren't you? I like that, but sadly, Sanguine doesn't give it away like a toy. Why don't you speak to him yourself, see what he wants. Maybe he'll give to you, or you'll end up like us poor buggers, which ain't a bad thing, hehehehe."

The man got up and took a drunk Khajiiti woman to the bushes. Seconds later, the bushes was rocking back and forth, making Cicero rolled his eyes.

He then decided to approach the statue and stopped at the base. He looked upwards and called the prince, "Listen to my voice, o depraved Sanguine, for I have a desire to speak to you."

He waited for a moment, half-expecting there would never be a response so he could search for a more pleasant daedric prince to deal with when a voice boomed from the sky, "Uughh, what now? If you are asking for moonsugar again, I'll make you marry a zombie for the rest of your life..."

The daedra's voice trailed until he saw a small man standing in front of his shrine. "Ah, what do we have here? A new one! What business do you have to wake me up from my slumber?"

Cicero swallowed his salive and steeled himself, "I... I come here after I heard of your might and I wish to see your splendor with my own eyes. Truly, the songs fall utterly short of your enormity, o despicable one! And now that I am standing before you, I wish to earn your favor."

Sanguine let out an amused tone and a grin if anyone could see his face, "Oooh, aren't you a honey-mouthed poet? I don't see your kind too often. Unfortunately, your pleasantries won't make it easier for you. I won't speak with you further until you bring me a bottle of Cyrodillic brandy, the purest one you can find. How about that?"

Cicero rummaged through his rucksack and grabbed a bottle with red liquid in it. The Cyrodillic brandy he bought in Bruma for the road. He drank some of it in Bruma county to ward off the cold and now he hoped the daedric prince would accept what's left of the drink. He put down the bottle on the altar in front of the statue. A few seconds passed before the prince spoke again.

"I see you come prepared. Good! Now I need you to perform a service for me. The Castle Leyawiin is a dull, dreary place. The mistress is an especially somber soul, and tomorrow she will hold another excruciating dinner party. I want you to liven it up. Use this spell on the Countess and her guests. I think it will make the party much more interesting. You should probably try to be inconspicuous. Or they might kill you. Oh, and the party is by invitation only. You'll have to find a way in. Have fun!"

Once the voice stopped, Cicero felt a surge of magicka flowed into him and found a new spell in his mind. The name was Stark Reality, but the effect was unknown. He was thinking to try the spell to the cultists, but he was afraid the prince would be angry at him for attacking his followers. So he stayed his hands and proceeded to his destination, the city of Leyawiin in the far south of Cyrodiil.

A few hours had passed since his encounter with the daedric prince. It was evening and the time for the feast was now. Cicero was in the room he rented in the Leyawiin inn. He kept his belongings on the bed and put on a black and burgundy outfit he bought in Skingrad on the way there. He hoped the guard would let him join the party if he followed the dress code.

He left the inn and went to the palace where the guests were lining up in front of the gate. The guards checked everyone for any harmful stuff, making sure everyone was worthy of the countess' invitation. After all the guests were permitted entry, they headed to the dining room and sat by a long table to wait for the countess. Cicero took a seat and checked his surrounding. There were 15 guests at the table, men and women, all wearing fine clothes. Two guards were standing by the doors that led to upstairs, to the main hall. They were the only ones with weapons since the guests didn't bring theirs or let them kept by the guards at the gate.

For twenty minutes they had a chat with one another while they waited for her. Cicero took the time to have a conversation with some guest and one in particular was quite nice, an Altmer lady in blue dress. She told him how she followed her father from Summerset Isles who became a member of Elder Council.

Then the guard opened the door and announced the arrival of the countess. Everyone stood up to respect her as she walked in. She wore a long green dress that looked very expensive and two female servants were following her. She took her place at one end of the table and told her guests to sit. Soon the waiters came out from the kitchen and brought the dishes to the table. The foods were complete and mouthwatering. They got cabbage potato soup and clam chowder for the appetizers, venison stew, grilled salmon steak and pheasant roast for the main course, and for the dessert, the guests were served with the sweet roll made by the best baker in the city.

The lavish dinner was spent in a calm fashion, which was expected coming from the countess' stoic personality. A little chitchat was heard, but no big laugh was present that night, as usual. The countess herself only asked a few simple question to her guests, just to break the ice. That raised a question in Cicero's mind, what was possibly the effect of this Stark Reality on this feast. Since Sanguine was associated with with and drunkenness, he suspected it would make them drunk suddenly. He put his hands under the table to prepare the spell on one hand, and the Minor Dispel on the other, just in case.

The guests had finished their main course and now it was time for dessert. The waiters took all the dirty plates and gave each of the guests a new one with a silver fork. As the countess allowed them to eat the sweet roll, Cicero casted the new spell.

What happened later was a total chaos. Everyone in the room, found their clothing and weapons disappeared in the blink of an eye, making them totally naked, that included Cicero, who failed to counter the spell with the Dispel. The shock and embarrassment didn't help too. The dinner table became a complete mess as they grabbed the handkerchief, or the tablecloth, to cover their private area. Cicero tried to find an exit, still covering his junk, when he saw the councillor's daughter cried in panic in the corner. Her father would flip when he learned what happened to his daughter. The countess herself was hurried to the inner part of the palace by the servants who tried their best to cover her breasts, ass, and genital area with their body, while they were naked themselves.

The guests stormed the door to get out of there when it was abandoned by the guards who also lost their armor and weapons. Everyone flooded the main hall, making the guards and servants who were stationed there surprised as they tried to find clothes for these poor people. Cicero took the opportunity to get away from the palace and the city, leaving his stuff at the inn. He couldn't take a risk of getting caught by going there.

Once he was outside the wall, he ran to the forest completely butt naked in the dead of night. What he wished now was to find a bandit camp so that he could take their clothes, after killing them of course. It took him many hours before he saw one. He was cold and got scratches all over his body because of the friction with the plants. Being so close to Black Marsh, the insects from the marshland added his misery. All he could do was casting Ward and Healing spell every now and then. When he arrived at the bandit camp, he sneaked from above the hill and shot them with the precise Shock spell. The last thing he needed right now was a melee combat against well-armed bandits. Once all of them hit the ground, he came out of his hiding and took the fur armor that was mostly undamaged by his spell, and a hunting bow from one of them. With the clothing problem solved, he set his eyes to the west where Sanguine waited for him. He couldn't wait to demand the reward especially after that shameless act.

* * *

He arrived at the shrine at the next morning with tired legs and hungry stomach because without his bow, he could only eat whatever he found on the forest floor, like berries and fallen fruits. He approached the shrine and called the prince, "I did what you asked. Now it's time for you to do your part."

Sanguine answered him a satisfied laugh, "A rousing success, mortal! And it appears you joined in the festivities as well. Good for you. You need to lighten up a bit. You'll find your equipment in that chest over there. And here's a little something for your efforts. Maybe we'll celebrate again sometime."

A glowing green light appeared in front of Cicero and with it died out, it revealed a strange staff with ornamental rose at the point. Cicero grimaced at the staff, it must be the Sanguine's Rose he read from the book Martin gave him. The staff had the ability to summon a random daedra from the plane of Oblivion, which he would not try there or anywhere. He simply took the staff as he went to the back of the statue to see the chest Sanguine spoke of. He opened chest and found all his stuff inside, his clothes, bow, soul gems, and rucksack.

He thought Sanguine must had moved them from that inn. He just grabbed everything, wore his mage robe, and tossed the fur armor and hunting bow into the bushes. As he prepared to leave the place, Sanguine's voice was heard again, for the last time.

"Ooh, I almost forgot. Please say hi to Martin for me, will you?"

Cicero turned his head quickly and felt a chill down his spines. _"How did he even know about Martin? What does the priest of Akatosh have to do with a daedric prince?"_ he thought. Deciding not to let Sanguine play with his mind, he jogged out of there and headed back to Cloud Ruler Temple. The sooner he delivered the artifact, the better it was for Tamriel so that Martin could take back his amulet, stop Dagon and be the emperor as he supposed to be, then he could resume his study and research at Arcane University. Everyone would be happy that way, except Dagon and Mythic Dawn. Screw them to Oblivion!

 **A/N: Yup, now the fetching quests have officially begun. Please tell me what you think. Send me your review! Until next time, see ya!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gladiator and Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. All rights belong to their respective owner.**

 **Hello and welcome back, dear readers. I've been alternating updating chapters between this story and my other story, please do check it out. So I think I update the stories biweekly or so. Anyway, this is the new chapter. Please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 16: Many Talks and Secrets

Cicero arrived at Cloud Ruler Temple at morning when the sentries charged their shift. A sentry opened the gate as soon as he saw the mage banging it. Cicero went up the stairs leading to the great hall, and inside, he saw Martin sitting on his bench. There was no doubt he just spent the night trying to decipher Mysterium Xarxes.

Cicero walked to him as he put the rucksack down, "Martin, I'm back."

Martin looked up, feeling optimistic that Cicero's search for daedric artifact was fruitful. "Cicero, I'm so glad you're safe," he said, standing up. "Did you get the artifact?"

Before Cicero answered him, Maximus arrived at the hall, looking happy for his friend's return, "Cicero, you came back! That was quick, I take it your search was successful?"

The young mage smiled sheepishly, "Of course, I wouldn't be here if I didn't have it, now would I? Where was I? Oh, that's right, the artifact. It's right here."

He reached the staff that was strapped on his back and handed it to Martin. He hoped the heir to the throne would be grateful, but the react he got wasn't something he expected.

Upon seeing the ornamental rose on top of the staff, Martin felt his heart stopped for a second as his past came back to haunt him. "Stendarr's mercy... It can't be."

Maximus came closer to him, looking confused, "Is everything alright? Did he get the fake one?"

Martin didn't answer that question. Instead, he told them to follow him to his quarter. They went there and he told the guards to leave them, which they obeyed, because who dares defying the future emperor?

As he closed the door, Cicero asked him, "What's wrong, Martin? Is there a problem? Is it not enough?"

Martin sighed, realizing the day had come finally, "No, no, it's not about the artifact. It's not about the quest or you. It's about me."

He pulled up a chair and sat down in front of them. He looked at the whole room, trying to find a moment to clear his mind and gather the courage he could find.

"Do you remember when you told me about your past? Now I believe it's time for me to do the same. I haven't been completely honest with you," he said.

Maximus tried to comfort him by giving his support, "It's okay, Martin, we're your friends, you can tell us anything. No need to be embarrassed for something you did in the past. No one is perfect, including an emperor."

Martin chuckled in response, "That may be true for many people, but not for me. You have no idea what I did."

"Then why don't you tell us?" Cicero quickly cut in.

Martin closed his eyes, feeling defeated despite Cicero's success, "You may know me as Martin Septim, the heir of Uriel Septim VII, who spent his youth as a priest of Akatosh. But that's not true. When I was young, I was like any other young man, careless and impatient, traits that attract trouble."

He gazed at Cicero as he continued his story, "I already told you about how I studied in Arcane University. But I wasn't a good student. I was too impatient to achieve the result and I didn't want to go through the process to climb the ladder. So I finally looked for a help from outside, a man who introduced me to his friends. It turned out they were worshippers of Sanguine, the Daedric Prince of Debauchery."

Maximus and Cicero gasped at the shocking revelation. The future emperor was a cultist, just like Mythic Dawn. Then Martin continued as they froze and speechless, "I'm sure you know what they do in that shrine, Cicero. We did the same thing, we made ourselves drunk all the time in order to hear Sanguine. He would tell us to do mischievous acts for a reward. Some were given strength to fight three men with bare hands, others like me were gifted with powerful spells that you'll never heard of in Arcane University, like the one to seduce and charm people from opposite sex, to lure them to bed.

But that's not the worst. One time, we came back after causing mass panic attacks by turning people's food into alive mudcrabs. We made a commune with Sanguine and he gave us the same staff you brought here. One of my colleagues, being high on skooma, decided to try using it. The result was horrible, daedra were summoned from Oblivion and killed everyone in the shrine. I barely escape from that onslaught after diving into a nearby pool and stayed underwater until it was over.

When I resurfaced, the only thing I saw was blood and body parts everywhere, on the bushes, benches and altar. I looked up to Sanguine's statue with burning hatred for taking everything from me, because my fellow cultists were the closest thing to family for me. I wondered in the wild for who knows how long, until I stumbled upon a wayshrine. I shouted to whoever the wayshrine was dedicated for and to my surprise, he answered me. The dragon god of time, Akatosh, spoke to me. He told me to leave everything behind and start a new life. I felt so dirty and unworthy for him, but I didn't want to go back to the evil path. So I become a priest and dedicate my life for Akatosh who saved me."

While Maximus saw Martin with newly found sense of honor and compassion,

Cicero stared at the staff with disbelief and dread. He never imagined there was such an evil thing in the world, resting in his palm. His hand were shaking by the power, but Martin quickly grabbed it.

"It will be safer for us if I keep this staff for now. I was trained to handle the dark power so I'll be fine," he said.

Now Cicero understood how Martin managed to read Mysterium Xarxes just fine and why Sanguine sent his regards for Martin. The man before him was not a saint, he was as flawed as anyone, perhaps more.

Cicero breathed in relief, "Thank you, Martin. I appreciate that. But there's something I have to tell you."

"What is it, Cicero?" Maximus asked him, seeing his friend being nervous.

"You know what? We must keep this a secret and take it to our grave. This conversation never happens, it cannot leave this room!" he said defiantly.

Maximus bewildered, he'd never seen Cicero acting like before, "What happened, Cicero? Something happened to you, right?"

Cicero exclaimed, "What happened to me is irrelevant. Look, do you have any concept of an ex-daedra worshipper emperor who rules a nation that revere completely opposite deities? No? Because it never happened before! The closest thing we had to this was Queen Potema. She was a necromancer who convinced his son to fight his own family over the throne, causing War of the Red Diamond, a civil war basically."

"That'll never happen here, Cicero. Martin is the only one left in Septim Dynasty. He has no other relatives. Besides, those days of honoring the daedra are behind him now. He's a whole new man. Can't you accept his repentance?" Maximus retaliated.

Cicero laughed, "Oh, Maximus, how little you understand about politics. The Elder Council may not be as forgiving as you. Once they know about his past, they will influence the people that their beloved emperor is a heathen. Then when the riot brakes and the people try to depose him, won't it be your problem, as a soldier?"

Maximus stared him while he processed his words. There was truth in there, but it felt wrong for him to deny someone over his past. Whoever he was, that wasn't Martin anymore. He had changed for the better.

"Alright, we'll keep it under wraps. But if anyone needs some convincing, I'll vouch for him. Besides, I'm the Hero of Kvatch. That's got to count for something," Maximus remarked as he put his hand over Martin's shoulder, assuring him support.

As he walked to the door, Martin called him, "Maximus, the Blades cannot know about this, especially Jauffre. They are sworn to serve me and my bloodline. Having a knowledge about my past will shatter their ideal and I don't want that to happen."

Maximus turned his head to him, "It's okay. I... We will protect your secret."

"And how about Hagen and Juba? Or your family? Will you tell them?"

Maximus was conflicted. He didn't like keeping secret from his family and friends, but Martin had become one of the closest persons to him. Betraying his trust was not an option.

"They will know in time. They're not ready yet," he answered him. "Can we get out of here?"

Martin smiled and chuckled, "Yes, of course. In fact, I have discovered the second part of Mysterium Xarxes, so I would like you to know." Then he said to Cicero, "You may come as well, Cicero."

Just as he reached the door, Cicero asked him, "Martin, I need to tell you something."

Martin raised his eyebrows, "Sure, what is it?"

Cicero closed his eyes before continuing, "It's about something Sanguine did to me. But you have to keep this a secret from Maximus and everyone else!"

Martin groaned and rolled his eyes, "Talos, help me! Is this give-me-your-secret day or what?!"

* * *

The Blades great hall was filled with important people, eager to listen the next step to regain the Amulet of Kings. With everyone's attention on the table, Martin stepped forward to explain.

"Yesterday, our friend, Cicero came back with a daedric artifact, sufficient for our ritual, which I'm grateful for. Now I have deciphered the next item."

He stopped to see the anticipation among the crowds rising. "So, we need-"

His sentence was interrupted by a Blade who came running from outside. "Grandmaster! There's a bad news!"

Jauffre gave the man his threatening glare for barging in into the briefing, " This better be worth my ears, young man, or else!"

The Blade gave him a nod, as he told him the news with confidence, "It will be, sir. Bruma is in danger. An Oblivion gate has been sighted just outside the city!"

Blades and non-Blades murmured among themselves, fearing that Mythic Dawn had found them at last. But the Grandmaster wouldn't let them driven to fear.

"Silence! Are you sure about this, lad?" he asked the Blade.

"Aye, sir. Just go to the rampart and see for yourself."

They quickly got out of the building to the watchtower and saw a tongue of fire dancing in the distance. It was almost noon and yet the flame was quite visible, so that meant the gate could be too far.

The Blade also gave him a letter. He read it and folded it back before telling Maximus, "Maximus, come here for second."

He pulled the gladiator aside, "Listen, I've just received word from the Countess of Bruma that an Oblivion Gate has opened outside the city. It seems that the Mythic Dawn are putting their plan to attack Bruma into motion. Since you've dealt with this gate before, I'd like you to help the Countess's guard close this gate. Once they've seen how it's done, they should be able to handle any new gates on their own."

Maximus looked at those around him, the Blades, Cicero, Juba, Hagen, Claudia and Octavius. Their eyes said that they put their hopes on his shoulder.

"Alright, I'll do it. Who's the man in charge?" he asked.

"You're looking for Captain Burd, the captain of the city watch. He is waiting for you outside the Bruma city gate. He'll show you the Oblivion Gate. Although I doubt it will be hard to find," Jauffre commented.

He then added, "You should rendezvous with Captain Burd immediately. The sooner that gate is closed the better. And bring whoever you trust, you'll need them in there."

Maximus then approached his old friends who had been waiting anxiously with his family, "Jauffre wants me to help Bruma close the gate. I need your help."

Claudia shook her head and pleaded, "Can't he send other Blades instead? We can't lose someone as important as you, honey."

Maximus' heart sank when he heard his wife. He didn't wanna go, but thousands of people could be killed if he didn't, "You won't lose me, dear. He trusts me to do this. Besides the other Blades have no clue what they are supposed to do. It would be pointless to send them."

Then Juba stepped forward to speak, "I'll go with you, Maximus. Remember, I assisted you last time."

Cicero, too, offered himself, "I'll go too, Maximus. I've never gone into one of those gates and I need to learn if I want to help you stop them."

Seeing no reason to say no, Maximus ran with them to the hall to prepare himself. That was when he heard someone called, "Father, take me with you."

Feeling the worst had come, he turned around to face his son, "Son, listen to me. You are precious to me beyond anything else. So I need you to stay with your mother and protect this place."

"No, papa," he ignored his father, "I'm not your little boy anymore. I will not be sitting here, waiting for the enemy to come, while I can fight and do something for the Empire."

Maximus was stunned to see what his son had grown up to be. A man and a true soldier who reminded him of himself when he was younger, enthusiastic, full of passion and always looking for opportunities to serve.

He looked at his son standing proudly, "I can't tell you anymore what to do, can I?" Octavius said nothing to him as he stared him with determination and fire burning in his eyes. Taking the silence as a yes, he continued, "Get yourself ready, we leave in 30 minutes. And don't you dare disobeying me, soldier!"

Octavius smiled as he ran back to the hall, to take his armor and weapons. This would be the day his dreams started to come true, when he fought alongside his role model and personal hero, his father.


End file.
